My One and Only
by LaurenShort-DisneyFan
Summary: Holy Crap, Chapter 13 FINALLY up! Hacker is convinced that he's getting old and decides to create a son old enough to wreak havoc at his side and, eventually, become his heir. But, as usual, not all plans work out the way that Hacker wants them to.
1. Heir to the Thrown

Note: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this fic....well, so far, anyway.  
  
This is only my second fic, so I hope it turns out okay. But only you, the readers, can truly determine that. I thought that I should take a stab at writing something that had to do with the show Cyberchase because, well, I think it's a cute show. Plus, I thought that I would try to find some fics that people had written on it. Unfortunately, there are hardly any fan sites, not to mention fan fictions, that have to do with this adorable little cartoon.  
  
If there is anyone reading this that has never heard of, let alone seen Cyberchase, I'm going to try and describe the show a little, but it might be a bit difficult for me. But I'll give it my best shot, anyhow!  
  
Before I begin, I would like to thank Grand High Idol for inspiring me to write a fic about Cyberchase. I really enjoy her work, mainly because she includes the three most adorable characters Buzz, Delete, and, of course, Digit. However, this story, I am sorry to say, is dedicated to that evil, black-hearted cyborg of Cyberspace himself...Hacker. Oops! I mean "The" Hacker! Out of the very few fics that I've read, hardly any of them have The Hacker as The Main Character! So..I thought that I should give the guy a break..but considering his reputation, I doubt he deserves it.  
  
Now, enough of my mindless dribble! On with the show!  
  
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My One and only: A Cyberspace Story  
  
By Dramaqueen-8.0  
  
Chapter 1: Heir to the Thrown  
  
* * * * *  
  
Cyberspace. A world unlike that of the human world. It is made up of numerous amounts of cyber sites, which are scattered throughout this vast wilderness made up of circuitry and wires. A beautiful image for one to encounter.  
  
There are so many of these magnificent areas that even to this day, it is still impossible to determine just how many of these sites that there are in existence. Some have yet to even be discovered, let alone to be seen by any living creature. But many of them, however, are inhabited by thriving civilizations, all under the watchful eye of Motherboard, the beloved ruler of cyberspace. And as long as she remains in this ruling position, all of the citizens can live in peace, without having to worry about war, violence, and hate, all of which the human world, in the view of the cyber citizens, anyway, has become today. These happy citizens are able to start families and raise their children in a violence-free in environment....every true parent's dream. For Cyberspace, this dream is a reality.  
  
Although the cyber world is full of so much good nature, there is, of course, always a bad egg in the basket. This "bad egg" just so happens to be resided on one of the very few cyber sites that Motherboard doesn't care to even bother with. It doesn't have a name, like many of the other sites, such as Castleblanca, Poddleville, Happily Ever After, Solaria, and even Mt. Olympus.  
  
No, like some of the other non-important sites, this one is simply labeled the Northern Frontier, a desolate plain mostly made up of dirt, rocks, dead trees, and more dirt. The only thing that could possibly resemble just the slightest sign of life is a metallic garage like structure, containing a large cyber vehicle called The Grim Weaker.  
  
This is home to one of the most hated beings in all of Cyberspace. Well, actually, he is the most hated being in all of Cyberspace! He is known as....The Hacker. A cyborg gone wrong. His original purpose was to assist a one Dr. Marbles, the caretaker of Motherboard. But, unfortunately, since the moment of his activation, he's been nothing but a thorn in the side of others. When he had betrayed Motherboard by trying to bring her offline, he was banished to the Northern Frontier, where he still resides to this very day.  
  
Through the years of his banishment, he was able to construct a home for himself, as well as a mode of transportation, along with two robotic assistants which he had dubbed simply Buzz and Delete. Although they weren't very intelligent, they still proved themselves to be useful from time to time. He uses all that he has recently created to continue his attempts at destroying Motherboard, therefore allowing himself to become the "King of Cyberspace".  
  
He probably would have succeeded long ago, if it hadn't been for the three earth children, Matt, Jackie, and Inez, who have aided Dr. Marbles in protecting Motherboard and all of Cyberspace from the evil clutches of The Hacker. They are aided by a rather clumsy, yet lovable, caring and helpful cybernetic bird named Digit, who was created originally as Hacker's "assistant". Unfortunately, he didn't have an ounce of evil in him. He had then decided to abandon his creator, and instead side with Motherboard.  
  
Despite everyone's best efforts in the fight against him, Hacker had still managed to infect Motherboard with a virus, causing her to slightly weaken. This is where our three heroes, along with Digit, come into action. While Motherboard is weakened, they must keep Hacker's evil at bay until a cure for the virus can be found. So far, they have done an outstanding job.  
  
Naturally, not everyone is happy with these newly appointed saviors from the human world. And it's not very difficult to guess whom. Hacker is obviously sick of the mere thought of being defeated by children....human children. Not only do they outnumber him, but they're also much more agile physically.  
  
In short....he's getting too old for this. And he is well aware it, too.  
  
Although he still has Buzz and Delete to do most all of the grunt work of his plans, it's never enough for the tyrant.  
  
He needs something..smarter. Something....faster.... younger....and definitely more evil.  
  
What The Hacker needs is....another Hacker.  
  
A younger Hacker.  
  
What he needs....is an heir.  
  
This is where our story begins..  
  
The metallic door to the control room of the Grim Wreaker slides open, allowing entrance for The Hacker, followed closely by his two dull-witted henchmen, Buzz and Delete. The two robots try to keep their distance, however, because of their boss' current mood. This, by the way, is none too pleasant at the moment.  
  
He stomps across the room with a slight limp in his walk, which he is trying to hide. His footsteps admit a hollow THUD sound as he walks. Once he reaches the nearest seat of the table in the center of the room, he pulls it out from under the table, sits down, props his elbows up and rests his head on his tightly closed fists.  
  
He has been mumbling obscene things from the time he entered, to when he sat down. He is eerily silent now as he stares straight ahead at the wall on the other side of the room, a look of pure anger and hatred on his face.  
  
Buzz and Delete had stopped at the door, looking on at their employer with both fear and concern. They knew that his mood was understandable, considering that the day's events hadn't gone too well. They also knew that there was nothing they could do about it, because the outlook would always be the same....their fault.  
  
In the past, when ever Hacker's plans hadn't come through as expected, they had always tried to cheer him up, saying that next time things will turn out differently. And then he would usually say, whether he heard them or not, that, "no one defeats The Hacker!". That was when he would make his dramatic villain exit by having the Wreaker land right next to his current position, which he would enter, sometimes laughing maniacally. He would then stomp off to his lab, but not before telling them not to bother him. And so, the whole cycle of him having a seemingly great plan, that three children and a "cyboid" somehow defeat, begins all over again.  
  
But this time was different. For not only had good once again triumphed over evil, but Hacker had somehow physically hurt himself in the process. And both of them had to agree that, if the injury hadn't happened, they could have gotten away with the plan with no trouble at all.  
  
It all happened like this..  
  
Hacker naturally had a plan to steel a major power source involving the strange glowing stones from the cyber site Pompadoria. Since his last attempt to take over the site had failed. This had involved him marrying the Wicked Witch, who had pretended to be the long lost princess of Pompadoria. He wasn't at all happy with the idea of marriage, especially when it involved the only woman he'd ever known to be as evil as him, but a villain's gotta do what a villain's gotta do.. according to him, anyway.  
  
Well, they had just gotten to the part of the plan that involved them taking the stones and leaving before the "Cybersquad" could get there. Surprisingly enough, they were way ahead of schedule. Hacker had become so pleased with himself and his brilliance that he had sent Buzz and Delete on ahead to the Grim Wreaker. He had stayed behind to get the stones himself, seeing as how he wanted to see Motherboard's little helpers show up and, to their disappointment, would see him carrying the stones off in victory.  
  
Now, Hacker is a cyborg, which means that he has an exceptional amount of strength compared to your average human. And with the power of the ten or twelve stones he was going to carrying, he would have been literally unstoppable. But he's also extremely power hungry. So, naturally he's going to want a lot more than just twelve "little" stones that happen to range from twenty to twenty-five pounds....each.  
  
Once he had gotten around twenty of the glowing rocks, he had lifted them up off of the ground, each arm wrapped around a stack of ten. At first, he had a bit of trouble trying to support that much weight while trying to walk at the same time, but he wasn't about to let that stop him. So he continued at the steady pace he was going.  
  
It was then that he had glanced up just in time to see his four rivals landing nearby in their "cyber coupe". Cursing under his breath, he quickened his pace by a considerable amount, trying to reach the nearby Wreaker.  
  
This is where things fall apart.  
  
At some point, while he was trying to concentrate on his speed, footing, and the maximum weight of over four hundred pounds all at the same time, he had stepped down on his right leg at an odd angle. This caused something to either pull or break loose from the calf of that leg. He screamed out in pain, dropping all of the stones into the nearby creek, from which he had gotten the stones in the first place. But he hadn't noticed do to the amount of pain he was in.  
  
Hacker had never cried in his life, and he was not about to start now. But it was becoming extremely hard not to. That's how bad this pain was. He was about to yell out for Buzz and Delete to come to his aid, when he heard the voice of one of the three earth kids. Not wanting his enemies to find The Great Hacker weakened, he got up on his good leg and tried to limp over to a nearby bush. This was not easy, as he almost put too much pressure on his bad leg, making him wince and nearly projecting a loud yelp of pain, causing him to cover his mouth so as to silence himself.  
  
Just before they had come around the corner nearest him, using whatever strength he could muster, he pushed off of his left leg, diving behind the bush. This only worsened his situation, for he had landed on his right side, putting him in even more pain. He was now trying desperately not to give away his hiding place by emitting another agonizing sound, drawing their attention in his direction.  
  
The three children and the metallic bird seemed to be taking their time with just standing in that particular spot. The exact spot where he had hurt himself. After a few excruciating minutes had passed, the group, seeing that the Grim Wreaker was still there, decided that Hacker must be out somewhere still looking for stones. They then disappear into another part of the forest.  
  
Seeing this as an opportunity, he begins to hop toward the Wreaker, trying not to cry out. Unfortunately, he lost his balance, falling forward , landing on his right knee, which, of course, doesn't help at all. This time he can't help it. He gives out a loud scream of pain. This causes Buzz and Delete to run out of the craft to his aid.  
  
This brings us back to the present.  
  
Buzz twiddled his fingers nervously as he looked on at Hacker, who had his back to him and Delete. Both of them knew that this was not a good time to try and talk to the boss, especially after what they had seen back on Pompadoria. In all of the years that they had been online, they had never seen The Hacker in pain. The only times they had seen him in a weakened state was when he had gone too long without recharging.  
  
Buzz took a reluctant step forward, still trying to decide whether or not if he should say anything. Before he could, however, Delete had already opened his mouth.  
  
"So, uh, Boss, what are we gonna do now? I mean, are we gonna go back to Pompadoria and try again, or what?" he asked, sounding a bit frightened, not wanting to really mention Hacker's physical state.  
  
Buzz looked back at his younger brother as if he were out of his mind. Delete noticed his brother looking at him and shrugged his shoulders, telling him that was all he could think of to say. Their silent argument was stopped abruptly, as Hacker had given a rather loud, heavy sigh, surprising both of them, as they had never heard him omit that sound before.  
  
"Umm ...Boss?" Buzz moved closer, but still managing to keep a fare distance between Hacker and himself. "Are you....uh, okay?"  
  
Hacker remained still for a moment, frightening his henchmen even more, until finally his look of anger faded. He then placed one arm flat on the table, while he used the other to massage the temples between his eyes. After what seemed like an eternity he finally spoke, but not in a tone the robots had expected.  
  
"Boys," he sighed, his eyes still closed, trying to ignore the intense amount of pain coming from his right leg. "Just....go and....fix something, will you?"  
  
Both robots froze. Buzz raised an eyebrow, while Delete just blankly stared at the back of the cyborg. They had been expecting him to yell at them for not staying and helping him with the stones, even though he had told them to get back to the ship. Instead, they were getting off scot- free. Now they knew that something was definitely wrong. They just didn't know how to approach it..  
  
"O-okay, Boss," stated Buzz, after recovering from the small shock they had just received. "We'll just, go n' fix someting'."  
  
Buzz then proceeded to walk back toward the door they had just entered, pushing Delete along in the process. At first, Delete was about to protest, mainly because he wanted to find out what was wrong, since he was the curious one. But he stopped himself after seeing the glare that Buzz was giving him. Instead, he let his older brother push him all the way out of the room. Before Buzz went through the open door, he poked his head back into the room.  
  
"You just..call, if you need anyting'..okay?"  
  
There was no response. Buzz kind of wanted Hacker to yell at him right then. That would at least show some sign of him being alright.  
  
Hacker waited until he heard the door close before sighing deeply again, this time banging his fist on the metal table.  
  
Why, he thought to himself, why does this keep happening?! I was so close this time! So close!  
  
He banged his fists on the table again, this time causing him to bump his knee in the process. He cried out again, gripping the edges of the table. He was using all of his weal power to contain himself, and it was getting harder by the minute.  
  
He then paused, listening to the silence, hoping that his two idiotic helpers hadn't heard him. That was the last thing that he wanted. Sympathy.  
  
After a considerable amount of time had passed, it was obvious that they had no intention of bothering him now. For this he was grateful.  
  
He slowly lifted himself from the chair, wincing slightly. He needed to get to his lab and repair himself.  
  
He leaned all of his weight onto the table, trying not to put any pressure on his leg. Gritting his teeth, he looked around the room for some kind of support. And, of course, this proved to be unsuccessful. This was definitely not a good day for him.  
  
He looked to his right, eyeing the door that led into his lab, and at the moment there was only one way to get there.  
  
Grumbling to himself, he finally manages to release his grip from the table. He tries his best to stagger over to the door, trying to keep his mind off of his injury.  
  
His injury? This wasn't an injury, and he knew it. As much as he hated to admit it. Nope, this was another growing pain.  
  
Yes, growing pain. He was getting old. For a cyborg, this wasn't as serious as it would have been for a human male of his age..whatever that might be. Still, he refused to accept the fact that he, The Hacker, was becoming an "old man". But lately, the signs of aging were becoming more and more difficult to argue against.  
  
Over the past few months he'd been feeling all sorts of pains like this one, ranging from his back, to his arms, and his legs, which was where it now resided. This made him think sometimes. Mainly of what the future would bring.  
  
He had obviously fully convinced himself that one day, he would be the new ultimate ruler of Cyberspace. This is what worried him. What if he actually did manage to defeat those meddlesome earth children and Motherboard herself? How much longer would his programming be able to last when he become all powerful?  
  
Once he'd reached the metal door, he pressed the button to his left that would open the sliding door, allowing him access to his laboratory. He then limped his way to his workbench, which, considering his luck, was on the other side of the large room. But with much difficulty, and a great deal of amount of pain, he had managed to reach the stool of the bench.  
  
After easing himself down onto the small stool, instead of reaching for one of his many repairing devices lining the bench, he went deep into thought about what had just dawned on him a moment ago.  
  
What if, for some obscure reason, he wasn't able to fulfill his destiny as an ultimate ruler? After all, it's not like there was someone that would be willing to take over for him after his programming eventually expired. He was the only one of his kind. Dr. Marbles hadn't really gotten around to building more cyborgs like him, probably for a good reason, too.  
  
This was a subject that had been gnawing at Hacker's mainframe for quite some time now. He drummed his fingers on the workbench, still thinking of the solution to his problem. He knew exactly what he had to do to fix this little dilemma of his....and he didn't like it one bit. But he knew that eventually it had to be done.  
  
He sighed again, glancing up in the direction of the room's corner that was opposite of him. In that corner was a rather large piece of machinery covered by an even larger white sheet. He shrugged, shaking his head. He then spoke aloud to himself, in a somewhat defeated tone:  
  
"Well....a villain's gotta do....what a villain's gotta do...."  
  
After a moment of silence, he turned his attention back onto the bench, reaching for the nearest tool....  
  
* * * * *  
  
"But I thought the boss wanted us ta' clean somethin'?" Delete asked, as he sat on his bed dangling his feet playfully over the edge.  
  
After leaving Hacker alone in the one room, Buzz thought it best if they just hide out in their room for a while, at least until their employer had decided to be normal again or until they were needed.  
  
Buzz was sprawled out on his bed, facing the ceiling with his eyes closed, trying to take a nap until the boss called for them. He gave an agitated sigh as Delete repeated his question for the third time. He sat up to face his younger sibling.  
  
" Deeds, I told ya', da' boss doesn't really want us ta do anyting'. He just wanted ta' be left alone, is all." After finishing, he lay back down, attempting to sleep again.  
  
"Oh," responded the taller robot. He had only asked Buzz the question for the third time because he found it hard to believe that Hacker just wanted to be left alone, not caring whether or not if they actually did anything.  
  
They had been in their room for over two and a half hours now, and it was making Delete impatient, not to mention curious as to what Hacker might be doing all this time. After looking around the room and at the dozing Buzz several times, he finally sighed, hopping off of the bed and heading towards the door. Buzz, upon hearing his feet hit the floor, opened one eye, groaning at the sight of Delete leaving.  
  
"Delete, what da' heck do ya' think your doin'?"  
  
Delete turned, facing him, a look of worry set upon his face. "I'm gonna go check on the boss." He looked back at the door uneasily. "It's too quiet out there, Buzz." He looks back at him. "What if something's wrong?"  
  
Buzz just looked at him, a bit annoyed that he hadn't gotten much sleep, considering that Delete couldn't stop pacing, whining, and not to mention talking.  
  
Delete kept looking on at Buzz with that worried expression, which included the "puppy eyes". Buzz hated it when his brother did this, because it always seemed to work.  
  
He rolled his eyes, sitting up in bed. He sighs. "Oh, alright....I'll go wit' yas'." He jumped off his bed, walking passed Delete, who was now looking down at him with a satisfied grin.  
  
The stout robot opened the door to their room, peering out cautiously. There was no sign of Hacker. After signaling for Delete to follow him, he then proceeded into the long, dimly lit hallway, walking into the direction of the room they had last seen Hacker.  
  
Once they had reached the door, however, they were reluctant to enter. They then began to argue over who would be the one to knock, neither one of them wanting to face the wrath of their boss' anger. After two rounds of "rock, paper, scissors", Delete, being the loser, lightly tapped three times on the metal door, waiting for a response.  
  
They waited a few moments in silence, straining to hear a reply of some kind. When there was none, Buzz, who was also now worried, opened the door.  
  
"Boss?" Buzz looked around the room, finding nothing.  
  
They both scanned the empty room, confused at first, until Delete noticed the door to his right was open. Knowing that this led into Hacker's lab, he then proceeded to walk towards it. Buzz saw where he was headed and, knowing that this room was off limits for them, was about to protest when....  
  
"There! That ought to do it!"  
  
Hacker's voice boomed from the room with pride, as he stepped back to admire his finished invention. His purple cape was now draped over the stool at his workbench, and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up over his elbows. He wiped a bit of sweat off of his forehead, setting down his wrench on a nearby desk. He grinned slyly, obviously in a better mood, now that he had finished something that he had been putting off forever.  
  
"Uh....Boss?"  
  
Hacker turned around, noticing his henchmen in the doorway, looking rather nervous.  
  
"Ahh! Delete, Buzz! Perfect timing!" He gestured for them to come all the way into the room. "Come in here and witness my newest stroke of brilliance!"  
  
A bit taken aback, the two robots reluctantly did as they were told, coming slowly into the room. They were actually glad to see Hacker working so hard on his next big plan, but it also worried them a little. Remembering his injury from just hours ago, Delete decided to once again talk at a moment where Buzz thought it was a bad idea.  
  
"Gee, Boss. Do ya' really think that you should be up and around....ya' know after what happened today, maybe you-"  
  
He was interrupted by Buzz, who had reached up and was now forcing his mouth shut.  
  
"Uh, what Dee-Dee means is, it's really great dat' ya' have a new idea, n' all...." He releases his grip on Delete's mouth, his body now fully on the floor. "But....dontchya tink' dat' you should....y-ya' know....take some...." He swallows hard. "Time....off?" Buzz winced waiting for his boss's wrath to come down on him like a ton of bricks. Delete, upon seeing this, feels he should do the same.  
  
Once Buzz is through speaking, Hacker turns to face his two henchmen, a large grin still set upon his face.  
  
"Buzz, my boy, I hate to say it but you might be right!"  
  
The two robots' mouth dropped open. They look at each other in both surprise....and utter horror. Buzz then looks back at Hacker, not believing the words forming out of his mouth.  
  
"Did....did you just say dat'....I was....right?!" He then feebly pointed at himself.  
  
Hacker nodded. "Yep! You both are! Why, I think it's about time that I take a bit of a break from all of this, "taking over Cyberspace" business!"  
  
Delete felt as though he were about to faint, but couldn't for fear of Buzz nodding off first! He mentally told himself to be ready to catch him before he hit the floor.  
  
Hacker let out a hardy laugh after seeing the reaction on their faces. "Now, now, now, I know what you're thinking," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. " You're thinking that you're boss, The Hacker, has lost his mind, right?"  
  
He looked at the two of them for feedback. When there wasn't any, he continued.  
  
"Well, you can both relax, because even though I said I'm taking some time off, that doesn't mean that I won't be trying to become the new ruler of Cyberspace at the same time."  
  
Buzz and Delete could only manage to cock an eyebrow, since they were still at a loss for words at the moment. After a moment of dumbfounded silence from the both of them, he rolled his eyes  
  
He then sighed. "Here, you nickel-plated twits, I'll show you!" He then turned to face the large metal object that he'd been working on, which now appeared be consisted of a metallic pod like structure, large enough for one full grown adult. A control consul and computer screen was located at the side of the pod.  
  
Upon hearing one of their commonly used nicknames, they new almost immediately that there was nothing wrong with Hacker. He was most definitely in his right mind.  
  
While Buzz and Delete both remained rooted to their spots, Hacker approached the large device, rolling up his right sleeve further up his arm. He then brought his arm up to a small platform attached to the machine, placing it there, his palm facing upward. He then pressed a few buttons nearby, turning to face the small platform, waiting patiently.  
  
Buzz looked at him questionably. "Uh, Boss? What er' ya-"  
  
Before he could answer, the machine made a whirring sound, followed by a needle coming out of it, just above Hacker's bare arm. It came down, piercing the skin, making Hacker wince, causing Buzz and Delete to gasp in surprise. The needle then proceeded to draw some blood. After taking a considerable amount, it drew itself back into the machine.  
  
Hacker removed his arm, rolling both of his sleeves down. He then walked over to a panel consisted of flashing buttons and colorful switches, continuing to press several buttons, along with numerous amounts of letters on a keypad located in the center of the panel directly below a computer screen.  
  
Upon seeing the flashing colors, Delete became mesmerized. "Ooh, pretty...."  
  
Buzz looked up at his younger sibling, rolling his eyes. He then directed his attention back to Hacker's invention....whatever it was....  
  
His question was soon answered, however, as Hacker gestured for them to stand beside him. "Look here," he ordered, pointing at the computer screen. "This monitor can tell me exactly what's going on inside of the pod. It also tells me how long it will take for the creation to be properly formed."  
  
Buzz had been trying to make out some of the symbols on the screen, but had gone wide-eyed upon hearing the term "creation". He looked up at Hacker, taken aback.  
  
"Ya' mean....yer tryin' ta' clone yerself....um, again?"  
  
"Of course not, you moron! I already tried that!" He gritted his teeth at the very thought of how that plan had gone down the drain....but not this time.  
  
"This device," he gestures up at the screen again, "is designed to create an actual living, breathing life form such as myself. BUT.... it does not produce clones. Instead, it alters the pattern of the DNA that one would deposit into the machine, giving it an entirely different signature. And since it was my blood that was just deposited into the computer, all that has to be done is a few changes to my DNA structure, so the being will still have a few of my traits, such as my devilishly good looks and evil personality, but not look exactly like myself." He glared down at the two of them. "Understand?"  
  
Buzz just looked up at him in silence, with a blank expression, scratching the top of his round head. "Uh....not, not really...." He laughs nervously.  
  
Hacker slaps himself on the forehead out of frustration, sighing again. He then calmly tries to interpret everything that he had just said, using as little words as possible.  
  
"I'm trying to make a son for myself, so that when I take over Cyberspace, I will have an heir to take my place in case....well, in case I....you know....ex-expire?" This last part was actually a little difficult for him to explain. Mainly because he felt that day creeping up behind him dangerously close.  
  
Delete, who had been distracted by a few of the buttons that were flashing some of his favorite colors, had snapped back to attention after hearing the term "son" being used. He then looked up at Hacker, excitement written all over his face. "Ya' mean we're gonna have a kid?!"  
  
"No, you dim bulb!" Hacker through his arms up into the air. "He isn't going to be a mere child. He'll be an adult at least in his in his twenties!"  
  
"Oh," answered Delete, rather disappointed. "Well, how come he has ta' be so....old?"  
  
Hacker grumbled to himself, then faced the taller robot. "Because a teenager will be too demanding and rebellious. And further more...." He said these remaining words more to himself than to his henchman, with pure hatred lining them. "I HATE children...."  
  
He then brought his full attention to the computer screen, while Buzz watched him closely. Delete, however, had once again focused his attention on three buttons that seemed to attract him the most....a green one, a blue one, and a rather large yellow one.  
  
Hacker began to type a few things into the computer, making the machine light up in a few places. He reached over to his right, pressing the large yellow button to save what he had been typing. After a few moments, the pod itself began to glow an emerald green, filling it entirely with light, making it impossible to see what was inside. He stepped back to admire it. A menacing grin then found its way across his lips, along with these words:  
  
"And now....we wait...."  
  
* * * * *  
  
It had been exactly four days since The Hacker had unveiled his latest invention, and Delete was still just as curious as ever whenever he would walk by the lab and see those pretty colors flashing at him, telling him that the buttons that contained them needed to be pressed. He had managed to control this troublesome curiosity considerably well....while he was conscious, anyway....  
  
The sleeping form of Delete could be seen casually walking through the dark, abandoned halls of the Grim Wreaker, heading towards its destination in mind.  
  
He hadn't sleepwalked in a long time, so Buzz had thought that perhaps he had grown out of it subconsciously, not bothering to lock their door on some nights. Unfortunately, his subconscious was far from giving up on these midnight strolls....  
  
Tonight it led him to Hacker's laboratory, where those beautiful colors resided. Delete, his eyes closed, began to walk through the room, heading towards the consol just a few steps away. Without even realizing what he was doing, he slowly brought his hand up and over the edge of counter top, just above the keyboard. His robotic fingers moved across the keyboard, trying to find the lights. They brushed over a few of the keys in the process, causing the computer above it to admit a few beeping sounds.  
  
Finally, after waiting for what seemed like an eternity, the hand had found its way on top of the blue button, pressing down upon the warm surface.  
  
The computer beeped again, this time causing the pod itself to glow.  
  
Not noticing this, the hand then happily proceeded onto the next one, the green button. Upon pressing this one, the computer started to omit a warning noise, stating that some of the data had been changed. Bright green letters popped up onto the screen, replacing what was once posted there. They read:  
  
Do you wish to save these changes?  
  
Naturally, the snoozing Delete took no heed to this as his hand had fallen upon the last button....the big yellow one. His hand then pressed down upon it, once again allowing the monitor to display its green letters:  
  
Changes saved....3 hours until completion.  
  
The pod omitted a loud wiring sound, growing an even brighter green. The sound had startled Delete back to full consciousness. He stood there, rubbing his eyes, wondering where he was, knowing that he had probably been walking in his sleep again. After realizing he had ended up in the lab, he looked towards the pod, still glowing brightly. A smile spread across his face.  
  
"I guess all that glowing must mean he's almost done."  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the colorfully lit buttons. He stretched his hand out until it hovered over the blue one, feeling the temptation to press one....just one....  
  
After a moment of silence, he brought his hand back to his side, shaking his head. "Nah, this means too much to the boss...."  
  
He turned, heading toward the same way that he had come in.  
  
"Besides....I'd hate to be responsible for blowin' this one...."  
  
He then began to tiredly make his way back to his room....  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Wake up! Wake up, you sad excuse of assistants! Wake up!!"  
  
Buzz jolted awake, trying to focus his vision on the doorway, which was occupied by a rather ecstatic Hacker.  
  
"What, what is it, what's wrong!" He jumped out of bed, ready for the first sign of trouble. Delete sat up in bed, looking at Hacker as if the world were about to end.  
  
"My son, I mean, the pod! It's finished!" He then turned, practically skipping towards his lab, yelling back at them. "Hurry up, you dunce buckets, or you'll miss it!"  
  
At first, Buzz and Delete just looked at one another, not sure whether or not if Hacker had really been normal or not. It wasn't like him to be....giddy.  
  
Then again, it wasn't often that Hacker had a child....  
  
The two of them suddenly realized this and bolted for the door, getting stuck in it in the process. After bickering about one being in the others way, they finally managed to pry themselves loose, continuing their mad dash for the lab to witness the birth of the so called Hacker Jr.  
  
When they reached the door, Delete running through first, they saw Hacker in his pajamas, seeing as how it was still 5 o' clock in the morning, standing in front of the consol, looking back and fourth from the computer to the pod, which was now glowing with a pulse. He was absolutely beaming as he read aloud how long it was going to take for the pod to open.  
  
"30 seconds! Just 30 more seconds...."  
  
He turned, facing the closed hatch of the pod, not wanting to miss a moment. "It took a lot less time then I had anticipated, but it's finally happening!" He grinned evilly as he rubbed his puce green hands together with delight. "And with my heir at my side, I'll be ruling over Cyberspace with the iron fist that I've desired for so long! With him at my side, Motherboard and those little brats of hers will finally fall, and I, The Hacker, will have ultimate control for many years to come!"  
  
As Hacker goes off into his usual fit of hysterical laughter, the computer omits a feminine voice, stating how much time is left:  
  
10 second until completion....  
  
The voice then begins to count down from there, as Buzz and Delete look on in awe as the pod's pulse-like glowing begins to increase in pace....  
  
8....7....6..  
  
Hacker grins even more, revealing his back molars. "Yes...."  
  
5....4..  
  
"Yes!"  
  
3....2....1...  
  
"YES!!"  
  
Subject Completed....  
  
The pod remained silent for a few moments, giving the three of them the impression that they had to open it themselves. Then all of a sudden, the door to the pod made a clicking sound. It then began to slowly open on it's on, releasing a large amount of thick green vapor, temporarily blinding them. After a minute or two of coughing and gagging, the vapor had managed to clear itself from the room, allowing them to breathe.  
  
Hacker coughed a few more times, then, after realizing where the gas like substance had originated from, returned his full focus on the pod. This action was repeated by both Buzz and Delete, who now stood on either side of their creator. As if in unison, they all peered through the remaining vapor issuing from the pod. Once they could see the entire inside of the pod, however, they gasped....  
  
Empty. The pod was empty, save for the already familiar green vapor, which was now making its way through the ventilation system of the Wreaker.  
  
The two robots looked on in confusion, then, after realizing that something must have went wrong, their looks of confusion were replaced by that of pure dread. Slowly, they both looked up at their boss....  
  
At first, Hacker didn't move, because he too was confused. Then, ever so slowly, the realization of the situation had finally dawned on the cyborg....  
  
"What....WHAT?!" He approached the now empty pod, banging his fists on either side of the entrance. "No! It was perfect! Everything was PERFECT!!" On this last word, he brought his fists down again, this time causing the entire room to vibrate.  
  
Buzz, knowing it wasn't a good idea to say anything, but he might as well since his brother would anyway, was about to question this situation, when Delete tapped him rather hard on the head.  
  
"What?" He hissed, annoyed by the interruption. He looked over to where Delete was facing. "What is...."  
  
He never finished.  
  
His eyes went wide with horror as he saw what Delete was indicating. The two of them could just stand by and stare in utter amazement as a green figure wearing a black jumpsuit came out from behind the capsule door, staying out of Hacker's view.  
  
"I can't understand it....I made sure all of the equations were precise, the equipment up to date...."  
  
Delete tried to make some kind of a sound, some kind of warning. But all he could say was just one shaky, barely audible word:  
  
"B-b-boss?!"  
  
"Not now, you idiots....I'm trying to think...."  
  
Just then, a small, green hand reached up and tugged on the shirt of Hacker's white pajamas.  
  
Hacker rolled, his eyes, now even more frustrated. He then looked down at the figure trying to get his attention.  
  
"I said not-AAH!!!"  
  
He screamed in horror at what was currently holding onto his shirt....  
  
It was a small, green, 5 year old.......girl.  
  
Hacker stumbled backward, his foot getting caught on a stool, causing him fall onto the ground, landing on his back.  
  
The little girl giggled at the sight of Hacker falling down, apparently not afraid of him in the least.  
  
"Ow.." he moaned, trying to get back up.  
  
He soon found that difficult, as the child had now made her way from the pod, over to Hacker. She had pulled herself up on top of him with no trouble at all, and was now sitting cross-legged on his chest with her hands in her lap, smiling sweetly. All he could do was stare.  
  
He found himself looking into the deep green eyes of a little girl with green skin, much like his own only darker. She had black curly hair that flowed down just barely below her shoulders. By the looks of her, she couldn't have been 4 to 5 years old at the most. He tried to open his mouth to say something, but only a high pitched sound came out, followed by air.  
  
The child laughed at him again, and then, to everyone's surprise and amazement, and just before Hacker fell unconscious..she said her first words..  
  
"Yer funny!"  
  
To be continued.....  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Well, here's my first chapter! Please review, I need Feedback so I can  
continue with it! 8^P 


	2. Different Shades of Green

Note: I do not own any of the characters in this fic . . . except for Hacker's, uh, "daughter" . . . she's mine.  
  
Well, here's chapter 2, I hope it's okay. Like I said, I'm so much more satisfied with this fic than I am my other one, which I kinda gave up on . . .(laughs nervously) uh, he he . . .he . . .(clears throat) Anyway, thanks to sarahfan and Grand High Idol for reviewing. I love feedback! I feel so special! ^_^  
  
For any of you readers that happen to be fans of Matt, Jackie, Inez, and, of course, Digit, they're not going to be in this chapter. Sorry, this story is sorta focused on the bad guys, but they'll turn up eventually. I just don't know when! After all, it wouldn't be a Cyberchase fic without our Cybersquad!!  
  
And now, without further ado . . . I give you . . . A Cyberspace Story!!! (Dramatic music plays) Enjoy!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
My One and only: A Cyberspace Story  
  
By Dramaqueen-8.0  
  
Chapter 2: Different Shades of Green  
  
* * * * *  
  
Even though it resided on the outer most regions of Cyberspace, the sun still shone brightly upon the dreary site known as the Northern Frontier. The warm rays reflected off of the front half of the Grim Weaker, which was slightly visible through the permanently open doorway of its storage bay. Its green tinted windows seemed to absorb the rays, allowing light to poor freely throughout the ship's control room, which, at the moment, was empty.  
  
The morning light had managed to reach just far enough into the metallic structure so it could shine through The Hacker's bedroom window. Slowly, it crept across the floor, making its way toward the top part of his bed. Once it had reached its destination, it shone directly onto Hacker's sleeping form, causing his eyes to slightly open. But upon having the blinding light in his eyes, he cursed at it, closing them tightly.  
  
He rolled over, his back toward the window. He was silent for a moment, until he slowly opened his eyes again. The first thought that came to him was 'what time is it?'.  
  
He then gasped, immediately sitting up straight, remembering what had happened the night before . . .or was it early this morning . . .?  
  
He shook his head, bringing a hand up to his forehead, trying to think clearly. He looked around the room, recalling what had happened . . .  
  
He was in his lab . . .waiting for a pod to open . . .oh, Buzz and Delete were there, too . . . then it opened, and out came all of this green smoke, and then . . . and then this small child had scared the circuits out of him . . . and that was all he could remember before falling unconscious . . .  
  
After going over these last thoughts several times, he then realized something.  
  
He was in his room . . . in his bed . . . not his lab!  
  
Did he dream the whole thing? Was he actually trying to create an heir, or was it all just an image of his subconscious?!  
  
He brought his hand away from his forehead, drawing it up and over his head, to the back of his neck-  
  
"Ow!" He gave a surprised yelp as a sharp pain omitted from a tender spot on the back of his head. 'How did he get THAT?' he thought to himself, as he brought his arm back down to rest at his side. The only explanation that he could come up with was that he must have actually hurt himself in his laboratory just hours before.  
  
Maybe he really DID fall over something last night, hitting his head. And maybe he really WAS trying to create a younger version of himself over the past few days.  
  
His hand was now rubbing his chin while he tried to get all of his thoughts organized. He shook his head in confusion.  
  
But if this was true, then that would mean-  
  
He froze, eyes widening in horror. He slightly paled at remembering the full results of his experiment. He then spoke aloud to himself, his voice hoarse . . .  
  
"Oh, God . . ."  
  
He leapt out of bed, bolting for the door. After pressing the access button, the door slid open, allowing him to continue sprinting like mad down the hall in the direction of his lab.  
  
On his way, he passed the kitchen, which was occupied by Buzz and Delete, who had been enjoying their usual breakfast of coffee and donuts until it had been interrupted by a frantic cyborg running past the open doorway. Hacker took no heed to them, as he had other things on his mind at the moment.  
  
Upon seeing their boss run by the room, they looked at one another. The rather amused expressions that had been on their faces a moment ago had now been replaced by looks of uneasiness, as they knew exactly where Hacker was headed . . .and why. They both got up from the table slowly, knowing that there was no hurry in getting to the lab because the thing that Hacker was looking for was no longer residing there.  
  
Once Hacker had reached the entrance to his lab, he stopped short of about two feet from the doorway. He stood in place, not wanting to frighten whatever might be in the large room, but instead, catch it by surprise. Then, after taking a deep, calming breath, he took a step forward, revealing his head cautiously in front of the doorway, peering into the direction of the pod itself.  
  
At that moment, Buzz and Delete had come walking up behind him, still a little uneasy.  
  
Buzz was the closest to him, feeling as though he should be the one to tell him. "Uh, Boss?"  
  
"Shh! Be quiet, you idiots," he hissed, without looking back at them. "It'll here you!"  
  
Delete, upon hearing this, cocked his head in confusion. "'it'? What 'it'?"  
  
Buzz looked over at his younger brother, clearing his throat as he crossed his arms. Delete looked down at him, not knowing what he was looking at him for until a few seconds of silence had gone by. It had then dawned on him.  
  
"Ooooh, yeah . . .that's right," he said, somewhat under his breath so as to not draw attention from Hacker, who had now stepped all the way in front of the door, getting a full view of the room. His eyes were now scanning the entire area, finding it empty.  
  
"Where is it?!" He stomped all the way into the room, over to the pod. "Why isn't it in here?!" This last question was directed at Buzz and Delete, who had followed him all the way into the room. All they could do was just stand there, shuffling their feet, or, as Buzz was doing, whistling innocently. Hacker turned, noticed this, and, knowing that they definitely had a pretty good idea as to the child's whereabouts, began to sound more forceful. "Well . . .? I want an answer! Where is it?"  
  
Delete, rather annoyed by his employer calling the child an 'it' repeatedly, decided to say something on her behalf. "Don't ya mean 'she', Boss?"  
  
Buzz looked back at him again, glaring. He then brought his attention back onto Hacker, who was now clearly furious.  
  
"I don't care what it, er, 'she' is," he barked, startling the two of them. "What I want to know is WHERE she is!"  
  
Buzz brought his hands up in a defensive position, as if to block a blow from Hacker. "She's fine, Boss, don't worry!" He took a few steps back. "After you got knocked out, and after we'd put yas' in bed, we stayed up wit her for a couple more hours, ya know, ta keep her occupied . . ." He paused, wondering whether or not if he should continue.  
  
After a moment of silence, Hacker began to tap his foot impatiently. "And . . . . ?" He then crossed his arms, glaring down at the shorter robot.  
  
Buzz gulped, then continued. "And, uh, well, after a while, she started ta get tired. So Deeds' n' I took her to our room sos' she could-"  
  
Before he could finish, Hacker stormed passed him and Delete, nearly knocking them down. He then proceeded out of the lab and down the hall, into the direction of the two robots' room. The two of them quickly followed, not wanting him to do anything drastic.  
  
Upon reaching the tightly sealed door of the one room, he stopped just in front of it. He waited for the two simple-minded henchmen to catch up with him. Once they had, however, he gave them a stern look, causing them to skid to a halt and stand at attention. He glanced over at the door, then back at them, jabbing a finger at them as he spoke in a harsh, yet softened tone, so as to prevent anyone else but the two of them from hearing his command.  
  
"Go back to what you were doing BEFORE I came out of my chambers, and no matter what, I want the both of you to remain in that room!" He then stood up to his full height, still glaring down at them. "Do I make myself clear?"  
  
"Crystal!" They said this in unison, giving a salute. Then, rather reluctantly, they turned and headed back to the kitchen at a trot, leaving him alone in front of the door to their room.  
  
He turned to face the closed door, taking a deep breath so as to calm himself. He then brought his hand up, letting it hover over the access button. He paused, looking on either side of him, making sure he was alone.  
  
Once his solitude was verified, he listened to the silence, straining to hear what was on the other side of the door. After hearing nothing for several moments, he braced himself, then, placed his hand on the access button, opening the door . . .  
  
At first, he couldn't see anything because it was pitch black. Since Buzz and Delete's room didn't have a window like his own, the sun's rays couldn't reach the small room. He strained in the darkness, still not seeing anything. After a few seconds, he had managed to make out a few dark shapes, which he had identified as the beds of the robots. He looked from one to the other, seeing if anything was occupying them. He didn't know which bed belonged to whom, and frankly he didn't really care!  
  
They appeared to be empty at this distance. He gritted his teeth, thinking that Buzz and Delete had sent him here as a distraction. They were probably hiding her in the kitchen.  
  
He was about to turn to go when he stopped, spotting something on one of the beds. At first glance it had only appeared be the sheets bundled up into a ball . . .until the ball had moved, causing Hacker to jump. He cautiously walked further into the room, but then paused, reaching behind him and pressing the access button, causing the door to slide shut. He then proceeded to approach the bed, trying not to make a sound.  
  
Once he had made his way over to the bed, he looked down at what lay there; naturally, it was the sleeping form of the little green girl that had caused his concussion the night before. She looked so peaceful, not to mention adorable, curled up in a ball like that that it was hard for him to accept the fact she was of his relation.  
  
His first thought was to wake her up by turning on the light, shouting just like he did with Buzz and Delete every other morning. But that thought soon left his mind as she had just omitted a soft sigh. All he could do was just look down at her, a thought finally accruing to him:  
  
This was his daughter . . .his only child. But that was the problem . . .his DAUGHTER, instead of his son . . .a CHILD instead of the strapping young man that he had mentally pictured for the past few days. How could this tiny, insignificant thing be the outcome of one of his greatest plans ever? Maybe he did make a mistake in his equations. And if that was the case, then how was he going to fix it?  
  
He then sighed, shaking his head, figuring that he might as well make the best of it. After all . . .how bad could a smaller, female version of him be . . .?  
  
He was thinking about what to say in order to get the sleeping child's attention, when she stirred again. He froze, not knowing what to do. So, instead of going with his original plan of waking her up, he stood perfectly still, hoping an idea would suddenly come to him.  
  
The girl turned over, facing him, her eyes still shut. She then snuggled up against the pillow, burring her face in it. She sighed again, enjoying whatever dream she might be having. She had a smile set upon her small face.  
  
Hacker exhaled, as he had been holding his breath. He was both relieved and yet disappointed at the same time. He wanted her to speed things along and wake up on her own. But if she awakened, he still didn't have a clue as to what he was going to do with her. He wasn't too fond of children. Not only that, but he had no idea as to what to do with a child, especially one this young!  
  
This was another problem. What was he going to do? He didn't exactly know how parenthood worked for someone with his . . .reputation. But what he DID know was that first impressions are very important. And, considering that their first meeting had caused him to pass out, there was only one thing to do . . .start over . . .  
  
Hacker brought his hand up, carefully placing it on her shoulder. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally shook her gently. While he did this, she groaned, scrunching up into an even tighter ball.  
  
He frowned, repeating his action. All this did was bring a rather annoyed expression to her face. She then grunted, bringing the sheets up and over her head.  
  
He grinned. "Well, there's at least one thing we have in common so far . . .sleeping in . . ."  
  
Upon hearing his voice, the child poked the top of her head out from under the sheets, looking up at him tiredly. Hacker was startled by this sudden occurrence, as he had moved back a step. He watched with wide eyes as she came slowly out from under the covers, yawning and stretching. She looked up at him again, this time with a smile.  
  
She giggled, giving a little wave. "Hi again!"  
  
He cocked an eyebrow, rubbing the back of his neck uneasily. "Uh . . .hello, I guess."  
  
She noticed his action. "How's yer head?" She pointed up at him.  
  
"Huh . . .Oh! That . . .it's, a little sore, but I think I'll live." He brought his hand down to his side.  
  
There came a long silence between them. 'Think,' he thought to himself. 'Think! This is your offspring, as much as you hate to admit, she IS! You might as well accept the fact that YOU are HER father!'  
  
When the word 'father' had crossed his mind, he shuddered. Him, THE Hacker, a father!? The mere thought of it was ludicrous! It was down right absurd!  
  
And yet . . .here he stood, looking into those big green eyes that told him otherwise. The same eyes that kept looking back at him full of innocence and curiosity . . . the eyes of a child . . .HIS child!  
  
He cleared his throat, trying to think of a way to break the uncomfortable silence. "So . . .how are you . . .I mean, uh, how are you in, you know, terms of completion?"  
  
She cocked her head to one side, staring at him blankly. "Huh?"  
  
'Oh, right' he thought, rolling his eyes. 'The whole age thing . . .' He kneeled down to her level, rephrasing his question. "When you came out of the pod, did you have everything? You know, hands, fingers, toes . . .that sort of thing?"  
  
She scratched her head, showing a confused expression. Now it was her turn to raise an eyebrow. "Um, I think so." She hopped off of the bed, down onto the floor. She then began to look herself over. She stood on one foot, as if counting her toes; she then repeated this with her other foot and two hands. As she continued to do this, Hacker could only watch as this adorable little girl did her best to try and medically examine herself . . .  
  
He shook his head after realizing that he'd been . . .ugh, smiling . . . it was time to get serious about all of this. "Perhaps it would be best if I take you back to the lab and took some x-rays just to make sure."  
  
Once he had gotten back up, a thought struck him. "Um, what exactly am I supposed to call you, anyway? I mean, do you have a name?"  
  
The girl was now seated cross-legged on the floor, counting a few of the hairs on her head. She then looked up at him, thinking. "Hmm . . .no, not really." She stood up to her full height, which only went just above Hacker's waistline. "But I do know what to call you!"  
  
'Uh-oh . . .here it comes,' he thought, crossing his arms. "Oh, is that so. Well, enlighten me. What exactly did you have in mind?"  
  
"I'm 'spose ta call you The Hacker. Not HACKER . . .THE Hacker, right?" She looked up at him hopefully, her arms behind her back.  
  
Hacker was stunned, as he had been expecting something along the lines of 'dad'. "Wha . . .uh, yes that's . . .that's right!" He continued to look down at her. "If that's what you want to use then I suppose that you can . . ." He trailed off, still a little baffled at the child's innocence.  
  
"Well, actually," she replied shyly, digging at the tile floor with the tip of her foot. "I kinda wanted to call you something else . . .but Buzz n' Delete tol' me that you wouldn't like it." She looked a little sad after saying this.  
  
'Ah . . .that explains it.' He sighed, going over to the bed opposite of the one that she had been sleeping in, making himself comfortable. He figured that he might as well get the whole bonding thing out of the way before anything else. "Well, let's pretend that the dunce- I mean, Buzz and Delete- hadn't told you what my name was . . .what was it that YOU were going to call me . . .just out of curiosity?" Then, just to seem more "parent-like", he patted the spot on the bed next to him a few times, inviting her to have a seat.  
  
At seeing this gesture, she smiled happily, practically skipping to the bed. But once she had gotten to it, however, she found it very difficult to climb up onto. This was obviously Delete's bed, seeing as how Buzz's would be much shorter.  
  
Without thinking, Hacker reached over and picked her up from around the waist with both hands. He was surprised at how light she was. But instead of setting her down beside him, he instead sat her down on his lap, not even realizing what he had done until she had smiled up at him . . .by then it was too late to react. So he just tried to go with it.  
  
"Well," she said, sounding as innocent as possible, clapping her hands together in her lap. "I kinda wanted to call you, uh . . .Daddy . . .if that's okay?" She then batted her eyes at him, yet again, surprising the cyborg.  
  
He brought his free hand to his chin in thought, since the other was keeping the girl balanced in place on his lap. "Hmm. I suppose that would be alright." He noticed out of the corner of his eye that she had brightened at his answer. "But, for Buzz and Delete's sake, let's just keep that one between you and me . . .alright?" He had said this last part in a whisper, as if it were a big secret that only she could hear.  
  
"Oh!" She then lowered her voice, which was much softer than his was. "Okay . . .gotchya'!"  
  
"Alright then." He then returned his voice to its normal volume. "Now that we have MY name figured out . . .well, for you, anyway." At this, he winked at her, causing her to giggle. "But what to call you." He brought his hand to his chin in thought once again; this time actually trying put some real thought into it. He'd never named a child before . . .mainly because he'd been expecting a boy. The name there was obvious . . .Junior. But what was a good name for a girl?  
  
While he pondered this, he looked down at her, seeing if he could get some idea for a name from her appearance. "Let's see," he thought aloud. "Well, you're green. That's easy enough to notice . . .what are some good titles for things that are green . . .?"  
  
While he was in deep thought, she looked up at him, trying to mimic his movements of thinking. She rubbed the small tip of her chin, furrowed her brow and saying 'hmm' after each time Hacker did. She had even added to all of this by sticking the tip of her tongue out, to give her the illusion that she was thinking really hard.  
  
After noticing this, Hacker chuckled, surprising himself now!  
  
'Chuckling?' he argued in his head, 'The Hacker doesn't chuckle! He laughs maniacally after doing something extremely evil!' But after thinking this, he looked back down at the small figure in his lap, who was now scratching her head, still in "thought". This brought a smile to his face. 'Well, I suppose there's a time and a place for evil laughing . . .this just doesn't happen to be one of them.'  
  
He shook his head, trying to focus on the topic at hand. "How about . . ." He began to slowly mention other names for the color green, trying to get and idea. "Emerald?" He looked down at her for feedback. She wrinkled her nose and shook her head, so that one was out.  
  
"Or maybe . . .uh . . .Olive?" Again, still a negative answer, but this time she stuck out her tongue in disgust.  
  
"Not an Olive, aye? Well, I don't suppose you would go for 'Spring Green', would you?"  
  
This time she crossed her arms and gave him a look that said 'you're joking, right?'.  
  
"No? Oh, well, it was just a thought . . . Hmm . . .what else is there . . .?" The only other green colors he could think of at the moment were for plant life . . .  
  
And that's when it hit him-  
  
"That's it!" He suddenly shouted, startling his newly acquired daughter, as a brilliant epiphany had just come to him. He looked down at her, pride written all over his face.  
  
"My dear," he said, straightening up. "I think I have the PERFECT name for you."  
  
She looked up at him, her emerald green eyes sparkling with anticipation. "What is it?"  
  
"What do you think of the name . . .Ivy?" He waited for her approval as she took her 'thinking' pose.  
  
"Hmm," she chimed, imitating him again. "Ivy . . .Ivy . . ." She scratched her head, looking as if she actually were thinking about this one. After what seemed like only a few seconds, however, she looked up at him, beaming. "Ivy . . .I like it!"  
  
"Good! Ivy it is, then!"  
  
He was about to stand up, saying that they should head off into the direction of the lab. But was stopped by something, even before he could make his first movement, as he had not seen it coming . . .  
  
'Ivy' had embraced her father in a hug.  
  
She nuzzled up against him, squeezing as tightly as she could, which had proven that she was much stronger than her appearance had led her to be.  
  
This, out of everything else, was what had baffled The Hacker beyond all forms of reason, as he was now merely babbling things that didn't make any sense. He just sat there, letting her hug him, not really knowing how to respond. He didn't know if he should push her off of him, let her get all of the hugging out of her system at that moment, or just embrace her back.  
  
But this last option didn't really apply to him . . .did it . . .?  
  
He was evil . . .true. All of Cyberspace knew about him and his attempts at taking over it and all of its citizens. He had been branded names, such as the 'king of chaos' or the 'scourge of Cyberspace'. Yes, it was a well- known fact that he, The Hacker, was a cold, black-hearted, cyborg that didn't care about the pain and suffering of others. He only cared about himself.  
  
But, right then, even for only a brief moment . . .he was having a few doubts about his reputation . . .  
  
He bit his lower lip nervously, looking down at the supposedly smaller version of himself. He then glanced over at the closed door, praying that the two henchmen wouldn't come in at that moment.  
  
Looking back down at Ivy . . .a smile, the same smile that he'd tried to hide a moment ago, was now occupying his once hardened expression.  
  
Then, ever so slowly, he put his arms around his little girl, embracing her back, at the moment not caring what this would hold for the future.  
  
Upon feeling his embrace, Ivy gripped hers even tighter, not wanting to let go.  
  
After spending time with him, she now knew that her father was nothing like what her two new friends, Buzz and Delete, had described him to be. They had told her that he was a mean, evil, maniacal villain who longed to become the dominant ruler of Cyberspace, and that he would sacrifice anything, and anyone, to get there, not caring about what happened to them in the process.  
  
Nope, they were wrong. Her father would NEVER do that . . .never.  
  
She was willing to stake her life on it.  
  
As she had these last thoughts, she nuzzled herself further into her father's chest, sighing . . .  
  
"I love you, Daddy . . ."  
  
To be continued . . .  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Well, that's it for Ch. 2! Please review! I loooove feedback! :p 


	3. A Desperate Attempt

Note: Any of the characters in this fic associated with Cyberchase, sadly, do not belong to me. Ivy is the only original character that I have.  
  
Well, it took me a while, but I finally got Chapter 3 done . . .I'm so proud of myself! Pat on the back for me! 8^) School is becoming rather hectic at the moment, so it might be a while until I get the 4th chapter up . . .but only time will tell . . .cause even I don't know how much free time I'm going to have on my hands!  
  
Alrighty then! On with the show!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
My One and only: A Cyberspace Story  
  
By Dramaqueen-8.0  
  
Chapter 3: A Desperate Attempt  
  
* * * * *  
  
It had been just three days since Ivy had first emerged from the pod, baffling the three of them; surprising Hacker most of all, considering that he'd had something entirely different in mind.  
  
Instead of a son in his mid twenties, who would have turned out to be just as evil as his creator, the cyborg was now stuck with a mere child of age five . . .and considering his luck, there wasn't a drop of evil in the girl.  
  
Although, there had been an intimate father-daughter scene between the two, this being the first time that The Hacker had ever shown true emotion towards anyone. Unfortunately, the only one to witness this rare moment had been the girl herself, who, at the time, had also been expressing her compassion. It would be quite some time before moments like this were to occur in the view of others . . .perhaps never.  
  
Naturally, the villain had no problem with this whatsoever. In his opinion, the fewer people that new about Ivy, the better. The last thing that he needed was mockery from his enemies. Even though he secretly cared for the girl, as much as he hated to admit it, it just wouldn't be acceptable to his reputation if those who opposed him knew that he now had a weakness . . .a soft spot. He would pale at the mere thought of it.  
  
After the touching scene, Hacker had put off testing the child, and instead decided to go over the data from his computer. No matter what he tried, the data still came out the same, saying that after a certain amount of time, the machine had followed his specific instructions, allowing the pod to open at the exact moment that the subject had reached the completed age of five years. This was not what he had inputted into the database, even though it was possible that he might have made some mistakes in his previous equations, it still puzzled him immensely that the computer could have been off by so many years!  
  
It would all become even more confusing for him, as the computer had failed to mention when he had given it the implication that he had wanted the subject to be female instead of male. After many frustrating hours of sitting in front of the glowing monitor, he finally decided to put it aside for the time being, hoping that the problem would solve itself.  
  
He had a much larger one to deal with at the moment . . .parenthood.  
  
This also caused him to pale.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"You're it!" Ivy laughed with delight as she ran around the table of the control room, trying to keep as far away from Buzz as possible, who, at the moment, was now 'it' in a game of tag.  
  
"Oh, no ya . . .don't," he panted, as he did his best to keep up with the toddler. "You can't . . .get away dat' easy . . .Kid."  
  
Even as he said this, he was already slowing down, finally coming to a complete stop. Ivy had run all the way out of the room, as happy as ever. She had gone off to find a place to hide, thinking that she was still being pursued.  
  
Buzz took a few deep breaths before finally trudging over to the second nearest chair, since the first was already being occupied by Delete, who was still breathing heavily from when he had been chasing the girl. The shorter robot did his best to feebly pull himself up into the chair, collapsing into a heap.  
  
"Holy cow, Buzzie!" Delete had caught his breath and was now trying to slowly sit up in the chair, looking over the table at his brother. "How can somethin' so small have so much energy!? I mean . . .I know she's young, and all, but you'd think that she'd run outta' steam sooner or later!" He rested his head on the cold, steel table, his eyes half open. "Right?"  
  
"Yeah," Buzz responded, without looking at him. "But one 'ting is for sure . . .she most definitely did not get all dat' energy from Hacker, lemme tell ya." He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "No sir . . .you won't find da' boss runnin' around, playin' kiddy games . . .especially with dat' much power! I have no idea where dat' came from!"  
  
Delete sat all the way up. "Where is the boss, anyway? I know he doesn't like kids, but shouldn't he at least be spending SOME time with her?" He looked into the direction of the doorway that she had left through. "After all, he is her father."  
  
Buzz, having caught his breath as well, sat up to look at the taller robot. "Are you nuts? Da' boss is goin' just as crazy as us when it comes ta' dat' little menace!" He pointed over at the open doorway with his thumb, then bringing both hands down to his sides, slumping back into the chair, still rather exhausted. "Don't get me wrong, she's a good kid. But when it comes ta' all dis' quality time stuff, da' boss don't have a clue as ta' what he's doin'! None of us do! He may not wanna admit it, but we need help."  
  
Delete had been rubbing the sleep out of his eyes when this had caught his attention. "Help?" He looked up at him. "Whadda ya mean by 'help', Buzz?"  
  
Buzz sighed, sitting up again. "You know . . .help. As in taking care of her properly. Like what ta' feed her, how ta' dress her, all dat' girly stuff!" He crossed his arms, mumbling. "It makes sense why Hacker wanted a son instead of a daughter." He looked back up at Delete. "We don't know da' first 'ting about how take care of a kid, let alone a girl!" At this, he threw his arms up in aggravation.  
  
"You're right," he sighed, scratching his head. It was true that none of them knew how to actually manage a child . . .especially a girl!  
  
That was the main reason behind their employer's need for an adult subject. They knew very well that Hacker was not good with children, even one as lovable as Ivy. But since the henchman knew nothing about what had happened in their room a few days earlier, they were under the impression that Hacker didn't care much for her. Therefore, they felt that it was their duty to handle most of the parenting.  
  
After a moment of silence, Delete finally spoke. "So, do ya' think the boss will even want help? You know how stubborn he can get when it comes to getting help from someone else!" He too slumped down into his chair, in desperate need of a nap. "Besides . . .who would be willing enough help someone as evil as The Hacker . . .?"  
  
The two sat in silence once again, thinking about the problem at hand. Suddenly, as if in unison, both robots sat upright, now very much awake, as an idea had just occurred to them. They both looked at each other questioningly.  
  
"Delete," Buzz began, rather uneasily. "You don't 'tink dat' . . ." He trailed off, looking up at his younger brother.  
  
"Maybe . . ." Delete fidgeted by tapping his fingertips together. "I mean, who else is there, Buzz." He leaned in closer, so that only the two of them could hear. "But will he want to? After all . . .with what happened back on Pompadoria and the wedding and-"  
  
He was cut off by Buzz's hand holding his mouth shut.  
  
"Quiet, Deeds!" he hissed, looking from side to side, then back at Delete. "You know how embarrassing dat' was for Hacker! We're not supposed ta' bring it up, remember!?" He slowly released his grip.  
  
"Sorry . . .I forgot," he whispered, rubbing his muzzle. "But what if because of the . . .ya know . . .would he even think about asking?"  
  
Buzz shook his head. "The question isn't whether or not he would do it. If he gets desperate enough, he most likely will."  
  
He glanced around the room nervously again, this time lowering his voice a considerable amount. "But will SHE still be willing to help HIM . . .?"  
  
* * * * *  
  
Ivy skipped down one of the long, metallic hallways of the Grim Wreaker, humming to herself as she occasionally stopped to take a look inside of the rooms as she went. Naturally, she had gotten bored with Tag and was now looking for something else to do. So far, she hadn't found anything worth expanding her curiosity.  
  
Over the past few days, she'd become very familiar with a lot of the rooms aboard the ship, wandering in and out of the open doorways as often as she pleased, exploring whatever treasures they might contain. And, considering the owner of the ship, there weren't too many things of interest for a child to find.  
  
She passed Buzz and Delete's room, not really bothering to stop and explore the already too familiar space, seeing as how that's where she'd been staying for the past few days. Delete had given her an old shirt that she could use as pajamas, since the only other thing that she had to wear was her black jumpsuit, which she now wore.  
  
She had stopped skipping, and instead was now jumping from tile to tile on the floor while still humming. She was about try and jump over three at once, when she heard something coming from down the hall in front of her. She froze, listening for whatever it might be. After a moment or two of silence, she heard the same sound as before.  
  
It was a voice, and it would become silent every so often, as if it were engaged in a conversation. But she didn't here anyone else speaking, just the one person.  
  
Ivy smiled.  
  
Knowing exactly where and who the voice was coming from, she resumed her skipping, heading for the source.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Hacker moved his head from its resting-place on his propped up right hand over to his left, releasing another frustrated sigh. He'd been looking through every phone and address book that he could find, searching for some way of locating information on children, as he still had no idea what he was supposed to do with a five year old.  
  
Seeing as how Cyberspace had become the perfect place to start a family and raise children without any trouble at all, there really hadn't been a need for information on the subject for quite some time. For him, however, it was becoming ridiculously inconvenient.  
  
Every now and then, he would find something, but then realize that it required the parent be at a certain place in person with the child, contacting someone by phone, or giving out personal information. All of these he'd considered being out of the question. He intended on keeping the girl a secret, which meant outside contact involving him to be seen, or heard, wasn't going to happen.  
  
He picked up a nearby pen and began to write something down on a pad of paper. He would then scratch it out in frustration, as it hadn't been what he was looking for. He began to tap the end of the pen on the metal surface of his desk while he became deep in thought.  
  
'How am I supposed to find information on something like this!' he thought, reaching for the last phone book in his possession. 'I'm THE Hacker, for crying out loud! I shouldn't have to bother with things like this!'  
  
He angrily flipped through the yellow pages, looking for the keyword in mind; childcare.  
  
'Why couldn't I have paid more attention to those calculations . . .maybe then I wouldn't have to sit here, looking through every single phone book known to-'  
  
He stopped in mid-thought, as he had come across a certain page in particular. It didn't contain what he was looking for; it had just caught his eye . . .  
  
It was an ad for information on spells, potions or just decorating ideas. There was a number listed below. But it wasn't the ad itself or the number that had gotten his attention . . .it was the name of the person who had placed the full-paged ad.  
  
The Wicked Witch.  
  
He observed the page in silence, recalling his "partner in crime".  
  
Well, it was more like ex-partner now, considering what had happened on the cybersite Pompadoria. He had to admit that her pretending to be the long lost princess of the site was ingenious . . .he was just humiliated at the mere thought of what he had attempted that day, in order to gain control of one measly little cybersite.  
  
Marriage.  
  
He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "The things I do for power," he mumbled to himself, as he resumed tapping his pen on the desk, going into deep thought again. But this time, it wasn't about Ivy . . .  
  
He knew that it was ridiculous of Wicked to only pretend to be royalty in order to marry him. But he didn't know which was worse . . .the fact that she hadn't let him in on the scam that she was a phony, or that he had basically left her at the alter, not saying a word to her. After all, he may be pure evil, but that was no excuse for not being a gentleman about the whole thing. The least he could have done was to tell her that he couldn't marry her, rather than just high-tail it out of there the moment that he'd discovered she was a fraud!  
  
Hacker sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.  
  
He hated to admit it, but he actually felt a little guilty about what he'd done. He might have actually apologized if they had spoken at all recently. But he hadn't seen or heard from her since the wedding, which had to have been at least two months earlier.  
  
As he continued to eye her phone number, an idea began to slowly form itself.  
  
Wicked was a woman . . .Ivy was a little girl . . .  
  
He rubbed his chin in thought. This might be the answer he was looking for . . .if she wasn't still angry with him, that is.  
  
But he found it hard to believe that she could still be sore at him for this long. The very idea of it sounded hard to believe on some levels . . .  
  
Wasn't it . . .?  
  
He shook the thoughts of guilt and sympathy from his head, feeling ridiculous for thinking like a "good guy".  
  
He then eyed the far end of the room, spotting the phone, wondering whether or not it would be a good idea to call her. His main concern was actually set upon how Wicked would take the news of him becoming a father, and if she would be willing to help him out.  
  
He stood up, heading towards the phone. As he reached his hand out to pick up the receiver, he stopped, letting his hand rest lightly on top of the phone.  
  
After staring at the lifeless object for quite some time, he finally takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly. He reaches out, picks up the receiver, and begins to slowly dial the familiar digits. He then listens for the ring on the other end, preparing to sound as charming as possible.  
  
One ring.  
  
Two rings.  
  
Three ring-  
  
"Hello?" A feminine voice had answered the phone. A voice Hacker knew all too well.  
  
"Wicked!" he beamed. "How are-"  
  
He was cut off, however, by an ear-splitting CLICK on the other end, signifying that not only had she hung up on him . . .she was still sore at him.  
  
"-you." He finished, a little surprised.  
  
He sighed, looking down at the receiver in his hand. "Yep . . .still mad."  
  
And with that, he pressed the re-dial button, knowing that, from past experience, if he called her again after she had hung up on him, like she had just now, more so than not it wouldn't happen a second time.  
  
Then again, he'd never left her at an altar on her wedding day in previous occasions . . .  
  
This time, it took six rings for her to finally give up and answer the phone, annoyance lacing her every word as she spoke. "What is it, HACKER? I'm a little busy at the moment." She had gritted her teeth as she pronounced his name, giving him the impression that sweet-talking her wasn't going to work this time.  
  
Hacker raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Busy? What, on a Saturday?"  
  
It was time to try another approach; flattery.  
  
"My dear, you work much too hard for someone as successful as yourself! Why, with how well known you've become, I'd of thought that you'd have a few people to do this work for you. After all, you do deserve it."  
  
"I'm not working on anything for business, at the moment, Hacker." She clearly wasn't buying his act of innocence and didn't want to hear anything else that he had to say. "I'm a little preoccupied with other matters. Now, unless you have something to say that's actually WORTH hearing I suggest you not even bother wasting your time talking to someone who won't listen."  
  
Hacker didn't know whether he should keep up the charm, or just cut to the chase, hoping that perhaps she'd help him in spite of their differences. After a moment of silence, he finally knew what had to be done.  
  
"Well?" Wicked asked impatiently, sounding ready to hang up again.  
  
He gave another sigh, taking a deep breath of air.  
  
"Well, actually, Wicked, considering what I've done to you recently . . .I'm sure you'll be glad to hear that what I'm about to tell you is something that has been putting me through quite a considerable amount of torment and uneasiness."  
  
He smirked, thinking. 'If the thought of me suffering doesn't do the trick . . .nothing will.'  
  
Wicked's end of the line was silent for so long, he thought that he would have to call her for the third time.  
  
After what seemed like an eternity, she responded.  
  
"I'm listening . . ."  
  
* * * * *  
  
As she approached the entrance of the laboratory, Ivy could now fully understand what her father was saying. Peering her head through the open doorway, she could see that his back was to her and he was talking on the telephone. He was now seated at his desk again, fidgeting with his pen nervously, as he was doing his best to come to the end of his odd predicament.  
  
"And that's why I called you, Wicked. I don't really know what else to do . . .but seeing as how you're still upset with me, I'll doubt that you'll want to help me with this, and I'll also understand if you don't want to."  
  
Wicked, who was baffled by the entire story, just stood there, holding the receiver to her ear, trying to take in all that Hacker had said. She knew that it wasn't like him to sound courteous . . .unless he wanted something, that is. Still, considering the situation he was in, she couldn't blame him for being a little desperate, especially if it meant calling her, knowing that she was still angry with him for what he had done to her.  
  
Wicked was silent for a moment before she finally omitted a sigh in defeat. No matter how angry she would be with him, she could never turn him down when he sounded so pathetic and guilty like this. He may not have done it very often, but it was a sad attempt every time.  
  
"Hacker . . ." she shook her head, not believing what she about to say. "You mean to tell me that you tried to create a . . .child!?" She found it rather difficult to say this last word.  
  
"Well, not a child," he said, "but rather a son, old enough to be my heir . . .you know if I ever, uhh . . .you know?" This conversation was becoming a little uncomfortable for him for some reason.  
  
"Okay, fine. You tried to create an 'adult heir', but instead you ended up with a . . .little, girl!?"  
  
"That . . .would be the gist of it, yes."  
  
"So," She was now doing her best not to laugh. "You . . .THE Hacker, the Scourge of Cyberspace . . .the King of Chaos . . .are a, f-father!?"  
  
He sighed. "Yes, Wicked. I, THE Hacker . . .am a," He rubbed the temples in between his eye, as he could feel a headache coming on. ". . .father."  
  
She couldn't stand it. She finally burst out laughing, bringing tears to her eyes. All Hacker could do was remain silent, tapping his foot, waiting for her to get it out of her system.  
  
Wicked was laughing so loud, that Ivy could here it clearly from her spot at the doorway. She smiled, putting her hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing. Unfortunately, a small snicker had alluded her, causing Hacker to turn.  
  
She gasped, "Uh-oh."  
  
She tried to duck out of sight, but he had already seen her, causing him to grin . . .but only slightly.  
  
"Well?" He asked, turning his chair to face the door. "Are you going to just stand out there laughing, or would you prefer to come in here, so you can mock me right along with her?" He pointed at the phone.  
  
The girl slowly came into view, coming in front of the door. Ivy grinned innocently. "No, that's okay. I'm done now!" She walked all the way into the lab, standing in front of him. She reached her arms up towards him, indicating that she wanted to be picked up.  
  
The cyborg raised an eyebrow at her action. He looked down at the phone in his hand, where Wicked is still heard laughing hysterically. He looked back down at the girl, finally shrugging, setting the receiver down on the desk. He reached down and picked her up, setting her on his lap.  
  
"Who are you talking to?" she asked, pointing at the now abandoned phone.  
  
"Oh, just a friend." He looked down at the phone. "I think . . ."  
  
Wicked began to settle down a bit, mainly because it was causing her sides to ache. She wiped the tears from her eyes. "I, I'm sorry, Hacker," she chuckled weakly. "I couldn't help it! But you can't blame me, though, can you? I mean, you, a father?" She started laughing again, despite her exhaustion.  
  
It was Ivy's turn to raise an eyebrow. She looked up at him. "What's so funny, Daddy? How come she's laughing at you?"  
  
He was about to answer her, when he heard Wicked's voice again. "Oh! Is that her? Well, by all means, put her on!" She was doing her best to sound serious, but was failing.  
  
Hacker looked down at the phone, then at Ivy, not knowing if it was a good idea. He scratched his head, reaching down to pick it up. He continued staring at it, thinking.  
  
Wicked spoke again, this time annoyed. "Hacker, if you want my help, you're going to have to let me speak to her eventually. Now, give her the phone!"  
  
Hacker sighed, handing the phone over to Ivy, still rather reluctant to do so.  
  
She gladly accepted it from him, smiling as she spoke into it, trying to sound as social as possible. "Hello?"  
  
Wicked, who could feel another laughing fit coming on again, tried to remain under control. "Why, hello, dear! And what's your name?"  
  
"Ivy," she responded sweetly.  
  
"Ivy!?" Wicked was caught off guard for a moment, not believing that something so sweet sounding could come from a man like Hacker. "Well, uh, that's a . . .pretty name! Did you pick it out yourself?"  
  
"Uh-uh!" She shook her head. "My da-" She stopped herself, looking up at Hacker. "I mean, The Hacker, gave it to me . . ." She looked up at him for feedback, to see if she had done well. He nodded. She returned to the conversation. "Yep! He named me! I like it!"  
  
"Oh, HE named you?" She was even more surprised at this. "How very . . . 'fatherly', of him." She was beginning to feel a bit concerned now, wondering if the cyborg had lost his mind if he had actually named her.  
  
Wicked, who also wasn't too great with children, tried to think of something more to say. "How old are you, Ivy?"  
  
"Um," Ivy looked down at her free hand, counting her fingers. Hacker saw this and shook his head.  
  
"Five," he whispered to her.  
  
She smiled up at him again before speaking into the receiver. "Five!" she said proudly  
  
"Uh-huh . . .?" She figured that she might as well sound as motherly as possible. "So, Ivy, how are doing over there? Have you eaten anything since you were . . .uh, created?"  
  
"Hmm . . ." Ivy scratched her chin in thought. "Well, whenever I go into the kitchen, Buzz and Delete give me a donut! I really like 'em! Especially the ones with sprinkles!"  
  
"Donuts?" she asked, astonished.  
  
"Yeah!" The girl continued, not realizing that what she was saying was a bad thing. "And when I'm thirsty, I just get a soda pop out of the fridge! They have a lot of that stuff here! I must have had, like, a million cans of it!"  
  
"You mean, all you've had is donuts and soda the entire three days that you've been there?"  
  
"Yep! Pretty much!"  
  
'What in the world is that man thinking!?' The witch thought in disgust.  
  
"Dear, I hate to ask but . . .have you even had a BATH while you've been there!?"  
  
Ivy was confused again. "Bath? What's a bath?" She looked up at Hacker, who had slapped himself in the forehead after hearing this part their conversation. "Daddy, what's a bath?"  
  
He looked down at her, at a loss for words. "Well, uh-"  
  
Wicked just about lost it. "DADDY!?"  
  
He went wide-eyed, taking the phone away from Ivy. "Wicked, let me explain- "  
  
"Are you insane!? Feeding her things like donuts and soda!? And she doesn't even know what a bath is! She's a child, Hacker, not one of your dimwitted assistance! And why in the name of Cyberspace is she calling you 'Daddy'!?"  
  
"Well, there! You see? That's exactly why I need you . . .er, I mean, your help! I need your help!" He looked down at Ivy, who still had a look of confusion. "Um, Ivy, why don't you go find Buzz and Delete and play a game with them, or something?"  
  
"But I just got done playing Tag with them! I think they're tired!" She now expressed a look of sadness, as she had wanted to play with him. "They look like they need a nap, anyway."  
  
'How could someone of my blood have concern for those two idiots!' he thought to himself before rephrasing his question, setting her gently down onto the floor. "Well, just go tell them that I TOLD them that they have to play with you . . .alright?"  
  
She looked up at him in silence before sighing sadly. "Okay . . ." She then turned, leaving the room in disappointment.  
  
Hacker looked after her, making sure that she was now out of earshot. He then returned his attention to Wicked.  
  
He lowered his voice, becoming desperate. "Wicked . . .I know that you and I have our differences at the moment, but, this doesn't have anything to do with me or any of my plans to bring down Motherboard and take over Cyberspace . . ."  
  
He paused, thinking about this. "Well, it did . . .but it doesn't now!"  
  
He waited for a response to come from her end of the line. When there was none, he continued. "Wicked, you know that I don't say things like this very often but," he looked uneasily around before resuming. "Please, I need help with this . . .if you won't do this for me then, well, do it for the girl."  
  
Wicked was shocked at this Hacker could tell, as he had heard a gasp from her end.  
  
"Please . . .?"  
  
Wicked didn't know what to say now. She'd thought that she had made it perfectly clear to him that she didn't want to have anything to do with him right now. But after hearing this pathetic attempt of his, she felt that there was something that she had to do for the girl, rather than Hacker himself.  
  
She was silent for a while, before finally giving him a somewhat regrettable answer.  
  
"Hacker." She now sounded stern, causing Hacker to give her his full attention. "I am going to help you-"  
  
He exhaled in relief, thinking he was out of the clear. "My dear, you have no idea how much this-"  
  
"Let me finish." She sounded even sterner now as she cut him off. "I am going to help you, BUT, it won't be for you personally . . .it'll be for Ivy. Seeing as how you have NO IDEA what you're doing over there, you leave me no choice but to assist you. Now . . .I will be over there tomorrow morning-and don't tell me that you would prefer the afternoon, because I know how late you sleep in!" She had cut him off again, as this was exactly what he was about to suggest.  
  
"Yes ma'am." He responded, not wanting to anger her any further.  
  
"Alright then . . .I will be there at 8:00. I have A LOT to go over with you. This includes your two idiot assistance. Knowing you, they'll probably end up being the ones who take care of her, anyway."  
  
He was about to disagree, but stopped himself. He knew that it only frustrate her more. Instead, he just gave his approval. "Whatever you think is best." Then, just to sound more grateful, he added, "You're the boss!"  
  
"That's right." She said before hanging up on him. "And don't you forget it . . ."  
  
The line then went dead.  
  
Hacker just looked down at phone in his hand, listening to the tone. After a moment, he finally pushed the disconnect button.  
  
He got up and walked to the other side of the room, placing the receiver back in its place.  
  
While doing so, he shook his head. "The things I do . . ."  
  
He then turned toward the door of his lab, heading into the direction of the kitchen.  
  
To be continued . . .  
  
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Well, that's it! Please review! ;) 


	4. A Heartfelt Confession

Note: Ivy is the only character that I was able to come up with on my own . . .the rest are not mine and were created by far more intelligent and creative people.

I know, I know. It's been a while. But hey, better late then never, right . . .r-right? . . .Oh, whatever! The point is, I have another chapter done.

School is almost over-

Does Happy Dance

-so there's a good chance that I will have more posted in a shorter amount of time. I guess I'm still into this fic, otherwise I would have moved on to another one by now. But then I realized that in order for me to do that, I'd have to finish this one first, that way my next one will make a little more sense.

Oh yeah, that's right . . .a sequel may already be in the making . . .just try and stop me!

Muahahahaha!!!

Ahem . . .Anywho, on with the show . . .er, story . . .whatever.

* * *

**My One and only: A Cyberspace Story**

**By Dramaqueen-8.0**

**Chapter 4: The Heartfelt Confession**

It turns out that Ivy and The Wicked Witch hit it off fairly well that morning that she had come over to give Hacker, Buzz and Delete a lesson in how to take care of a small child . . .and a girl at that.

The next week and a half would prove to be extremely brutal, as the witch was determined to teach the three male figures in Ivy's life everything she knew about child care, which didn't really consist of a whole lot, just the basics.

This included things like clothing, feeding, personal hygiene, and above all else, safety. Out of the little bits and pieces that she did know about children, her number one concern at the moment was child-proofing the Grim Wreaker. She would begin first with getting rid of any dangerous equipment, and knowing Hacker, with his plans of mass destruction, the entire ship was one big deathtrap.

In order for her to accomplish this feat, she would have to endure an endless array of disapproval from Hacker, who had no intention of throwing out any of his failed experiments, as he was a bit of a pack rat. This did not bode too well with Wicked, as it would only lead to another argument about how she was "the boss". . .

This shut him up every time.

Finally, after much complaining from Hacker, all of the inventions were eventually placed into the farthest part of the ship's docking area; a large broom closet. After that nascence would be taken care of, the rest of the week was dedicated to learning about the best way to take care of a five year old . . .and a bath was first on the list.

And with Wicked being the only woman, she would take care of that one . . .

* * *

"Come on, Deeds, hold up yer end, will ya!"

Buzz struggled to hold up his half of the heavy object. He was doing his best to keep a good grip on it.

"I'm tryin', I'm tryin'!" Delete whined, trying to step in unison with the other robot. "Aren't we there yet? This thing is gettin' heavy!"

"Yeah," he grunted, looking up ahead. "Just a few more feet and-"

Before he could finish, Delete's sweaty palms had given in to the weight of the large magnet, causing it to land near Buzz, narrowly missing him.

"Woah!" The stout robot jumped in surprise as the large piece of machinery landed on the metallic floor, emitting a loud THUD.

"Oops," Delete laughed feebly. "Sorry."

"Geez, Delete, watch what yer doin'! Ya coulda' killed me!" He threw his arms up in anger.

"I said I was sorry!" whined Delete, placing his hands in the center of his back. "My back is killin' me, Buzzie! Can't we take a break? We've been hauling the boss' old stuff all day today AND yesterday!"

"No!" Buzz went to pick up his end of the magnet again. "Besides, dis' is da' last one. We can take a break AFTER we get it in da' closet with da' others . . .okay?"

Delete sighed in defeat. "Okay."

He picks up his half of the experiment, trudging along with Buzz in the lead.

Delete grunted. "Hey, Buzzie? How come the boss ain't carryin' any of this stuff?"

"Because, Delete," Buzz responded, as if he were talking to a child. "Hacker hurt himself da' last time he'd lifted too much. Remember?"

"Oh, yeah." Delete then focused his attention on the task at hand, as he was about to drop it again.

Once they had reached the open closet and managed to shove the overly large magnet in with the other pieces of machinery, they both then did their best to jam the door closed, locking it after it was finally shut properly.

Buzz slapped his hands together, knowing that their task for the day was done. He then grinned.

"Besides, da' boss has his own problems ta' worry about . . ."

Buzz looked up at Delete rather slyly, while the taller robot returned the look with a similar expression. They began to snicker uncontrollably at the thought of what Hacker's job was . . .

* * *

"This is ridiculous . . .I'm an evil genius, not a home maker!"

Hacker continued to grumble under his breath, hoping Wicked didn't hear him. He was already in enough hot water as it is. But despite his attempts at secrecy, she could hear him just fine.

"You don't have to be a genius to take care of a child, Hacker!" She snapped over her shoulder, not wanting to take her attention away from the large box in front of her, filled with toys, stuffed animals and other assorted dolls from the site Happily Ever After.

She'd been sorting through them, looking for the ones that weren't too "cutsy" . . .this, obviously, was Hacker's request.

"Now stop complaining and finish putting that doll house together."

Hacker glared over in her direction, wanting more than anything to start yelling at her for assigning him this particular task. Instead, he merely grunted in response, turning back toward the half-finished doll house in front of him.

Before he continued working on it, he took off his cape, throwing it over a nearby chair. He then rolled up his sleeves, kneeling down to the same level as the small play house.

There was a minute or two of silence between them before Wicked finally broke it.

"Speaking of 'evil genius', Hacker . . .does Ivy know about your, 'reputation'?"

Hacker froze, almost dropping the hammer he'd been using. He stood up again, turning around to face her. "Well, umm, I might have, uh . . ." He did his best not to fidget while trying to think of the best way to lie through the awkward question, since he had obviously failed to mention to the girl his "profession".

But this would prove to be rather difficult, as she continued to stare him down, seeing right through him even before he could begin lying to her. When it came to dealing with The Hacker, she had developed a knack for intimidating him when he was lying.

Despite the pressure he could feel building up, he decided to stick to the story in mind.

He puffed up, trying to sound insulted. "Of course she knows! She is my heir, after all. Why shouldn't she know?" He rolled his eyes and shook his head, as if the answer were obvious. However, he turned quickly back around to continue working on the child's toy, so as to avoid eye contact.

"Uh-huh," responded the witch rather dully. She wasn't buying it.

She doubted that the child would know anything about what her father did for a living. If she did, then she would have noticed a difference in the girl's behavior, as Hacker's "job" wasn't exactly something that someone as young and innocent as Ivy would be able to understand.

Wicked found it hard to believe that The Hacker could turn down an opportunity to boast about being the Scourge of Cyberspace . . .but this particular situation, she had decided, didn't exactly scream out opportunity for him to brag about the position . . .

After eyeing the back of the cyborg for quite some time, she broke the silence again.

"When are you going to tell her, Hacker?"

This caused the robotic villain to cringe, bringing his hammering to a halt, as Wicked had sounded both stern and serious in asking this question. He had hoped to avoid the issue.

After a few seconds of thought, he finally responded without facing her. "I will . . .just, not until she's ready." With that said, he continued working on the task at hand, hoping she wouldn't press the matter further.

Wicked now stood facing him, hands on her hips. "Ready? Hacker, if you don't tell her now, she'll eventually find out on her own. It's best if she hears it from you . . . or would you prefer it if she heard it from one of the billions of Cyberspace citizens? You know, the ones who are fully aware of your attempts at dominating-"

Hacker stopped hammering. Instead he stood up suddenly, turning towards her. "She doesn't need to know! Not yet!"

He stopped, glancing over at the open doorway, not wanting anyone to hear him. He approached Wicked, abandoning his tool on the table to his left. He then continued, trying to calm himself, his voice a considerable amount lower.

"Wicked, I just don't think she should know about all that yet. Something's telling me that I need to give it more, well, time, I suppose."

Wicked looks up at him, now very much frustrated. She has finally become fed up with his strange behavior. "Hacker, what is going on with you?! You've been acting strange ever since you'd asked for my help!"

Hacker is silent for what seems like an eternity. He sighs deeply, glancing over at the door again, rubbing the back of his neck nervously as he finally comes clean . . .

"I . . .I don't understand it, Wicked! A few weeks ago, I was convinced that I was invincible, that nothing could stop me!"

The witch now noticed his constant glances at the open doorway. She goes over to it, shutting it tightly.

Hacker began to pace around the room, somewhat relieved that he was getting all of this off his chest. "But when I injured my leg during my last plan, something inside of my programming finally clicked . . .for the first time in my life, I realized that I WASN'T invincible! That I wasn't going to live forever!"

Wicked chortled, muttering under her breath. "It took you this long AND one pulled muscle to figure that out?"

Hacker, not really hearing her, continued. "After I had come to this realization, I knew that I had to come up with a way to live forever. If not in body, then in mind. I knew that if I should succeed in taking over Cyberspace, then I needed to find a way to guarantee THAT ruling for many years to come, even after . . .d-death." Hacker almost wasn't able to say this last part without choking on it first.

Wicked had noticed this. She began to feel a little sorry for him, despite the fact that she was still angry with him. As much as she couldn't stand him on some occasions, she just couldn't picture a cyberworld without him . . .

She took a step forward. "Go on."

Hacker takes a deep breath. "Well, when the thought of creating an heir had occurred to me, I didn't see a problem with producing a young man as my son. But that's just it, Wicked! A son . . .in his twenties . . .and look what I end up with!"

He gestures a hand toward the closed door. "A little girl!" He begins to pace again. "At first, I was furious with how flawed my plan had become, but . . ."

He stops pacing, now speaking more to himself than to Wicked. " . . .her eyes. The first time I looked into those green eyes, I knew that . . .that she was, MY little girl . . .my daughter . . ."

Hacker glances into the corner of the room, looking over the small bed that currently occupied it.

He grinned. "My Ivy . . ."

Wicked's jaw had dropped at the sight of his expression. She was speechless. She didn't know whether she should tell him to shut up and snap out of it, or scream. She was used to Hacker being arrogant and selfish, so naturally, this was a bit of a shock for her . . .or anyone, for that matter!

That's when the realization of the touching moment finally occurred to her . . . Hacker was expressing compassion . . . for another person.

She shook her head, trying to clear it, hoping to understand what in the world was going on. She looked behind her, locating a chair. She pulled it towards her, sitting down slowly, as one would do if they're about to be sick.

At that moment, Hacker had snapped back to reality, noticing his listener sitting down. "Wicked, are you all right? You look, uh, pale." He didn't know why he was even asking. He knew exactly what was wrong.

Eventually, she was able to look him in the eyes without getting an urge to throw up. "Hacker? You mean to tell me that you actually, care, about her . . .? As in, like . . .a father cares?!"

Hacker exhaled deeply, turning away from her, a bit ashamed by the sudden conversation. He hadn't wanted anyone to find out about this. Especially those who he considered to be just as evil as he was on some levels.

He went over to the window, placing his hand on the wall so as to have something to lean on. If someone did learn about his feelings for the girl, he was glad it would be The Wicked Witch, rather than one of his enemies.

Wicked just continued to watch him in silence, both shocked and amazed at the same time, not really wanting him to answer her question. But what he was about to say next would be going against all that a villain stands for, when it came to acquiring immortality through another generation.

The cyborg sighed again, massaging to pressure points between his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. This wasn't easy, but he had to tell someone . . .

"I know this doesn't make any sense, Wicked, but . . .I don't want her to, to turn out like . . .me."

This seemed to grab the woman's attention. She raised an eyebrow, not completely understanding. "What do you mean?"

He turns to face her now, somewhat annoyed that he has to keep explaining himself. "What I mean is, is that, well . . .she deserves better than this! She's too innocent to be evil! You've seen how happy she is all the time . . .I just don't want to take that away from her, is all." He was running out of ways to describe his situation. He already felt like enough of a weakling as it is!

Wicked shook her head in amazement, finally able to share her opinion. "Hacker, what are you talking about?" She went and stood at his side. "You are a GREAT father, as much as you and I probably both hate to admit it, you are!"

She places a hand on his shoulder. "Look at all that you've done for her. You've given Ivy her own room, nice clothes, books to read . . . you've even degraded yourself by building her a doll house, for God's sake!"

This last part seemed to lighten some of the tension in the air, as Hacker had nodded upon hearing the remark. Once she thought it all right to proceed, she did.

"Not only that, but you contacted ME, of all people, for help! Now, if you were a bad father, do you think you still would have done all of this for her . . .including calling me, despite what happened back on Pompadoria?"

Hacker winced, remembering how he had abandoned her at the alter. He had no idea how upset she had been after that. But he still had a pretty good idea . . .

He turned to face her again, taken aback by her look of sympathy. It wasn't something he usually got from anyone. When you've developed a reputation as the most hated person in Cyberspace, you don't see it very often. He sighs, making a bold move by taking her hand, speaking quietly. "Wicked?"

Wicked looks down at her hand in his, surprised by his display of affection. He'd taken her by the hand before, but this was different somehow, as it was gentler than what she was used to. But when she glances up at him again, she sees something unexpected in his eyes, something she'd never seen them display. She wasn't quite sure what it was, but he definitely hadn't displayed it before. For a moment, she thinks it might be sadness. But the longer she looks into them, she sees it's not that, but somethig entirely different.

Was it actually possible for The Hacker to express . . . adoration?

Hacker clears his throat. "I, think we need to talk about what happened-"

Before he can finish, the two of them hear a faint, but audible scream;

_"Daddy?!"_

The two adults paused, looking at the doorway. They then went wide-eyed, looking at each other in unison.

"Ivy!"

They'd just realized that they hadn't seen her for quite some time . . .

* * *

Ivy ran down the hallway, scanning each room as she went past it, looking for her father. She had just finished putting on a light blue Spring dress that she wanted to show him. Not only that, but she hadn't seen him for quite some time, as she'd been playing on his computer, or just watching television. Since there hadn't been anything of interest for someone of her age group, she instead went to try on one of the outfits that Wicked had brought for her.

"Daddy?!"

Since it had been a while since she'd seen him, she had become worried. So naturally, there were traces of fear in her small voice.

She suddenly screeched to a halt, considering something. She snapped her little fingers as a thought occurred to her.

"THE Hacker!" She then listened to the silence of the Grim Wreaker . . .

But still, no response.

"Huh . . ." She continued walking down the long hallway, scratching her head in confusion.

"Where is he?" Ivy looked through each room, now somewhat aggravated at her absent father.

She was about to call out for him again, when she heard footsteps coming in her direction. She squinted through the darkness, barely making out two shapes. They seemed to be running. One of them omitted a voice:

"Ivy!"

She smiled, throwing her arms open. "There you are!"

Hacker was at a full sprint, with Wicked falling behind.

Once he had reached the girl, he knelt down to her level, grasping her by the arms. He was looking her over frantically, thinking that she might be mortally injured. While doing so, he threw questions at her.

"Are you all right? What happened? Did you hurt yourself?" He then looked angrily down the hall. "Did Buzz and Delete do something?" He looked back at Ivy, worried again. "Tell me what happened!"

Ivy just looked at him with wide eyes. After a moment of silence, she slowly responded. "Nothing happened . . .I was just wonderin' where you were. . ."

Hacker just looked on at her, stuttering a few times, until it finally dawned on him that she was just fine.

Ivy giggled at him. "Yer funny, Daddy." She spun in a little circle. "Like my dress?"

Wicked sighed in relief, thankful that she was all right. She panted a few times, so as to catch her breath "It's very pretty on you, Dear."

She obviously hadn't freaked out like Hacker, but she was still a little worried. She then turned, heading slowly back down the hall toward Ivy's room to finish unpacking a few things, deciding it wasn't best to continue their conversation just yet.

Hacker breathed a sigh of relief as he stood back up. He then approached the nearest wall, leaning his back onto its cold, metal surface. He then slid down the wall until he was seated on the floor, his eyes closed as he caught his breath.

Ivy cocked her head to one side, now concerned for her father. "Are you okay?" She went to stand at his side, placing her small hands on his arm, which was rested atop his propped up leg.

He opened one eye, lifting his head up slightly. "What? Oh, yes. I'm fine . . .! Never been better!" He was obviously being sarcastic. "Don't you worry about me . . .hey, nice dress." He brought his head back down on the metallic wall, creating a light _THUD_.

"Umm . . .okay." With each passing day, Ivy thought her father to be weirder and weirder.

She then raised an eyebrow, eyeing him suspiciously. "Are you having a heart attack or somethin'?"

Hacker looked at her in silence before finally giving a chuckle. "No, my dear, I'm not having a heart attack." He then muttered under his breath, "an ulcer, maybe . . ."

The girl still didn't believe him. "Ya know, if yer getting sick, you should see a doctor."

She then took him by the hand, trying to pull him back up onto his feet. "Come on, you should go take a nap…then I can call the doctor! and he can come over and make you all better. . .then you won't be so weird!"

"I'm all right, Ivy, really." Despite his protesting, she had gotten him to stand up and was pulling him down the hallway to his room. "I only need to sit down for a moment, then I'll be just fine. There's no need for a doctor."

"Nuh-uh! You go take a nap while I call Doctor Marble!"

Hacker sighed, exasperated. "Ivy, I'm all . . . WAIT!!"

He froze in place, realizing what he just heard. He bent down, picking Ivy up off of the ground, bringing her up to his level. He then spoke through gritted teeth, rather panicked.

"Ivy, how do you know about Doctor Marbles?!"

"Oh, it's 'Marbles'? I thought it was just 'Marble'!" Ivy laughed. She then looked up at her father again, only to find an entirely different expression. Ivy, who now saw the look in her father's eyes, had become suddenly frightened.

She gasped. "Daddy . . .?"

Hacker spoke more slowly and calmly this time, so as not to scare her any further. "Ivy . . .how do you know about Doctor Marbles?"

She wasn't sure how she should answer, thinking that whatever she said would get her in trouble.

"Umm . . ." She bit her bottom lip, still a bit uneasy as to the what she was about to say. "Well, I was just watching TV, and, the news came on, and the news man was talkin' to this guy with a light bulb for a head, and the news man said his name was Doctor Marbles-"

Half way through this little confession of hers, Hacker had placed her back down onto the floor, sighing in relief once again, as he'd had the impression that Motherboard and the kids had found out about Ivy.

"Oh . . .television . . .of course," he laughed nervously, wiping a bit of sweat from his forehead. "That explains it."

Ivy looked up at him, ready to cry. "But I changed the channel right after that cos' it was boring . . .I swear!" She sniffed a few times, followed by whimpering. "Please don't be mad . . ."

"Oh no." This was breaking his heart . . .if he had one, that is.

The fatherly reflexes kicked in as he bent down to pick her up again. But this time he held her close to him, so as to comfort her.

"No, no! It's all right! I'm not mad!" He was doing his best to calm her down, but to be honest, he didn't have a clue as to what he was doing. The entire time that she'd been living there, he had yet to see her shed a tear. So this was a first, seeing as how he'd never comforted anyone before.

Ivy looked up at him, rubbing the tears out of her left eye. "Yer not?"

"Of course not," he said softly. He raised his free hand up to her right cheek, wiping away a few tears. "I was just, uh . . .concerned, is all." He couldn't think of a way to explain how he had acted. Especially without giving away bits of information that he felt needed to be kept under wraps for the time being.

"Oh . . .o-okay." She sniffed a couple of times. "Sorry I made you concern-a-did."

"Ah, don't worry about it." He waved a hand, indicating that it wasn't really important.

He set her down, kneeling in front of her. "Hey . . .why don't you go to your room, and you can help Wicked pick out all the good toys . . .okay?"

This brought a big smile to Ivy's face. "Okay!"

"Okay then!" He stood back up to his full height. "You'd better hurry up, or she'll think that you don't want any of them and take them all back to Happily Ever After!"

Ivy gasped. "Oh no!"

She started to make her way down the hall to her room, when she stopped and turned around, going back over to Hacker. She reached a hand up and tugged at his white shirt.

He knelt down again . . .His back would be killing him tomorrow!

"What is it?"

Without a word she embraced him in a hug. He was surprised . . .but for only a moment, as he was getting used to it.

"Thanks, Daddy."

He embraces her right back. "You're welcome, Kiddo . . .You're welcome."

"I love you."

Hacker sighed happily after hearing this. "I love you, too, Ivy . . ."

After what seemed like an eternity, she finally releases her grip, heading into the direction of her room at a sprint.

Hacker watches her go with a smile, getting back onto his feet.

He soon shakes his head, turning in the opposite direction.

"I'd better watch it . . .or that kid's gonna have me softened up before I know it!"

Hacker chuckles lightly before heading in the direction of the control room, in search of Buzz and Delete. Since he hadn't seen them for a while either, he assumed they were just lazing about somewhere.

But in reality, they we're a lot closer than the cyborg had thought.

In fact, they were a little too close . . .

* * *

Buzz and Delete had been just ten feet away from Hacker and Ivy . . .and had witnessed the whole thing.

They were left dumb-struck, as the two had gone their separate ways; Ivy to her room, and their employer was most likely in search of the two assistants.

Although they had been hidden to begin with, they still ducked further out of site when Hacker had walked right by them, totally unaware of their presence. Once their boss had turned a corner, walking down a different hallway, they finally felt that it was safe to come out from hiding.

Buzz looked after Hacker, who was now out of site. He was too horrified to say anything. Delete, on the other hand, doesn't know the meaning of the word "speechless" . . .

"Wow . . . the boss . . .? Lovin' someone . . .?" He then clasped his hands together. "Awww! How cute!!"

"Shh!! Quiet Deeds! He might hear ya!" Buzz looked around anxiously, hoping that there was no one else around. "And no, it's not 'cute'! It's bad! Very, very bad!"

Delete lowered his hands to his sides, giving his brother a look of confusion. "Bad? Why is it bad?"

"Because! Dis' is Hacker we're talkin' about here! He's not supposed ta' care, remember?"

"But . . . but Buzzie!? She's his daughter! He had to have feelings for her sooner or later!"

"Of course he had to! But 'tink about what might happen if an enemy of Hacker's knew about 'dis . . . ya know, cos' not only does he care about 'dat kid . . . he has ta' love her!" He slapped himself on the forehead from the frustration that he was developing from his confusion. "Dats' what's so bad about it!"

Delete was quiet for a moment, before finally putting all of the pieces together. "Oooh . . .NOW I get it . . ." He turns toward Buzz. "But what do we do about it? I mean, it's not like we can make him stop caring about her! Can we?"

Buzz had gone over to the corner in which Hacker disappeared around, checking to see if they were totally alone. When he was satisfied, he turned, facing Delete. "Well, no! We can't do 'dat! Besides, if 'dere was a way ta' do it, 'dat would be too horrible ta' do ta' someone . . .even Hacker!"

Buzz started walking in the direction of the kitchen. All this talk about love was making him hungry. Delete followed closely behind, scratching his head.

"So, what can we do?"

"I don't know, DeeDee . . .I just don't know . . ."

Neither one of them spoke until they had reached the kitchen. Delete took his usual seat at the table, while Buzz got out a box of doughnuts.

"Well, do ya think we should tell the boss . . .or do ya think he already knows?" Delete asked, propping his head up on his hands.

Buzz had finally managed to climb up onto his chair. "He probably knows." He reached into the box, pulling out a cake doughnut. "In fact, maybe I'm overreactin' about 'dis'. Chances are, da' boss has all 'dis figured out all ready!"

He took a bite of the pastry, chewing three times, then swallowing. He then laughs at his paranoia from earlier. "Oh yeah . . . 'dere probably ain't nothin' ta' worry about, Deeds. I mean, 'dere are hardly any people who know about Ivy anyway!"

"Yeah!" Delete sat up all the way, agreeing with his brother. He then started to count on his fingers, thinking of how many people actually did know about the girl. "There's, uh, well, the boss . . .and then there's The Wicked Witch . . .then . . .you and me . . ." He places his hand down on the table, beginning to look somewhat concerned about the issue. "That's pretty much it."

Buzz throws the rest of his doughnut into his mouth, consuming the entire thing with one bite. "Yep," he managed to say after swallowing. " 'Dats it." He opened the box in front of him all the way, revealing the two remaining doughnuts inside.

After taking one for himself, he offers the box over to Delete. "Hey, 'dere's one left. Ya want it?" He then notices Delete's serious expression. "Deeds? You okay?"

Delete suddenly snapped back into reality. "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about somethin', is all . . ."

"About what?" asked the stout robot, taking a bite of his second doughnut, chewing slower this time, as it was the last one.

Delete shrugged. "Oh, just Motherboard, Doctor Marbles, Digit . . .ya know, the usual list of people . . ."

"Yeah?" He swallowed, taking another big bite. "What about 'em?"

Delete rubbed the back of his neck. "Well . . .what if they somehow find out about Ivy . . .? I mean, do ya think they would do anything?"

Buzz had to laugh at his younger brother. "Like what?!"

"I don't know! Maybe . . .maybe they'd take her away or, somethin' like that!"

He then gasped.

"Oh no! That would break the boss' heart . . .! Well . . .if he has one . . .but you know what I mean, right?"

"Deeds . . ." Buzz sighed, shaking his head. "It's like I said. We're probably overreactin' about 'dis whole 'ting!" He leaned back into a comfortable position. "Everyting's gonna be fine."

This time it was Delete's turn to sigh. "If you say so, Buzzie . . ."

He then reached into the doughnut box, taking his share of the spoils, thinking that his brother was probably right.

It wasn't like anyone else would be witnessing Hacker's soft side . . .

To be continued . . .

* * *

Well, there's another chapter down. The next one will focus on the Cybersquad (Yippee!!)

Oh, and don't worry . . .Hacker will be evil sometime during this story. After all, it REALLY wouldn't be a Cyberchase fic if Hacker wasn't evil!! He'll toughen up here pretty soon . . .just have some patience!

Please Review!! ( I like the attention!!)


	5. The Truth Comes Out Part I

_Note:_ I do not own any of the characters in this story actually affiliated with Cyberchase…that would just make them less awesomer!!

I bet you're all wondering "Why the hell haven't you updated anything, DQ?! We're starving here!"

I'm sure there's a very reasonable, mature, not to mention well deserved, explanation in order for all of you loyal readers who have been trying to get me to add on to this and a couple of my other fics.

Yep, somewhere, there is definitely a reason for why you haven't seen any updates on this story.

Yes sir…I'm sure there is…You bet ya…

Well, good luck finding it! In the meantime, here's another chapter! Bon Appetite, everybody! ;)

(P.S.- For those of you who've already ready read chapter 5, it's been split in two as I've made some changes to it, making it just a smidge too long to be one chapter. So I've made it a two parter.

Also, if you just want to see what changes I've made, just skip ahead to part 2.)

* * *

**My One and Only: A Cyberspace Story**

**By Dramaqueen-8.0**

**Chapter** 5**: The Truth Comes Out**

**Part I**

Since the arrival of Hacker's daughter, Cyberspace had become extremely uneventful, as he'd "postponed" his plans for world domination. With him being out of commission for a short time, there was no one left to inflict chaos among the cybercitizens. For the first week or so, everyone was glad to have a break from the tyrant. But as time passed, the people became suspicious as to what he might be up to.

Many of them knew from experience that Hacker tended to have a better plan for destruction if he had more time to think about it, unlike some of his other ideas, which consisted of him coming up with one in just a short amount of time. These, of course, were the ones that would fail even before they were fully put into action.

And, considering the amount of time that The Hacker had yet to show himself, many had become restless, and uneasy. But not nearly as much as Motherboard had become. The same went for Dr. Marbles and Digit, as they too had become nervous upon noticing the fact that Hacker hadn't been seen for a while.

And what of the Cyber squad?

The three Earth children dedicating their lives to saving Motherboard and all of Cyberspace from the clutches of the twisted cyborg. Had they become uneasy as well? Perhaps they, too, were formulating a plan, one that could counter whatever Hacker's might be. After all, they've had plenty of time to do so while being in their own world for so long, without so much as a word from Cyberspace.

In fact, the three young heroes could be devising something dangerous, perhaps even extreme, at this very moment…

"Bored…so bored…"

Jackie lay sprawled out on her bed, a blue, heart-shaped pillow covering her face.

She'd gotten tired of her computer game long ago, becoming desperate for entertainment. When she had gone to her mother for guidance on what to do, she had expectantly suggested that Jackie clean her room. Well, after a bit of grumbling and complaining, the pre-teen had eventually given in, and was soon using a vacuum and window cleaner, adding the finishing touches on her now spotless room.

However, now that she had gotten that finished, along with all of her other time consuming chores, she still had the rest of the afternoon to herself…and her boredom.

Being in the middle of Summer, the lack of things to do was normal. But not for Jackie and her two friends; Inez and Matt. The three of them were used to having all kinds of adventures in the world of cybernetics. Unfortunately, their help wasn't needed, due to the fact that there was nothing to do for an adventure. Everything pretty much revolved around Hacker's activities, which were scarce at the moment.

Jackie gave an exasperated sigh, removing the pillow from her face. "This stinks…"

She rolled off of the bed, trudging over to her computer, only to stop just short of it. She considered playing some of her computer games, but shook her head in disgust. She'd had enough of computers for one day.

She headed towards the door, deciding instead to go and get a soda. It was then that she heard the phone ring. Thinking that it might be for her, she sprinted from her room, racing down the hallway in the direction of the phone.

Before it could ring a third time, she plucked it off the receiver, located on a small table near the entrance of the kitchen. She places it up to her ear.

"Hello?" she asked, energetically.

After a few seconds of listening to the caller, her smile fades. Instead, she begins to say what her parents had told her to in this situation;

"No thanks. We're not considering trading phone companies for the time being. We're very satisfied with…uh-hu…nope…"

She rolls her eyes at the persistent teller-marketer. After a few more seconds of meaningless babble, she sighs, hanging up on him.

"Stupid phone guy…" She then goes over to the fridge, grabbing a Root Beer. She pops it open, standing in front of the jarred door, soaking up the cool air illustrating from it.

Just then her mother walks into the kitchen, a basket full of clothes that had been hanging on the line outside. She glances over at the open refrigerator.

"Jacqueline, don't leave the door open like that. It's not good for it." She goes over to the couch in the living room, setting the basket of laundry on it.

"Okay, okay." She did as she was told, closing the fridge door. She then turned around, heading back into the direction of her room, taking a sip of her soda. "If you need me, I'll be on the shady side of my room."

Once she had gotten half way to her room, the phone rang again, making her groan.

She continued walking, shouting over her shoulder as she went. "You can get this one! I got the last joker!"

Her mother rolled her eyes, knowing exactly what she meant. "All right…" She put down the pair of pants she'd been folding, heading for the phone.

She plucked it from the receiver. "Hello?"

"Hi! Is Jackie there?"

Jackie's mother smiled at hearing the young girls voice. "Why, hello, Inez!" She said the girl's name loud enough for her daughter to come sprinting out of her room, snatching it out of her hand.

"Thanks, Mom, I got it!" She smiled up at her.

Her mother sighed, heading back over to her previous task.

Jackie put the phone up to her ear, walking back to her room and closing the door behind her.

"Hey, Inez! What's up?" she asked, setting her drink on her nightstand.

"Not much," was Inez's reply. "I was checking to see if you'd heard anything from Motherboard yet?"

She went over to her bed, flopping back down onto it. "No," she sighed. "Not a word! I'm starting to get worried. I mean, we haven't gone into Cyberspace since Pompadoria, and that was, like, a million years ago! Hacker's never gone this long without doing _something _evil!"

"Huh," said Inez. "That's odd. I thought for sure she would have talked to you by now."

Jackie sat bolt upright. "Why?"

"Well, she talked to me just a few minutes ago. But the signal was faint, so I thought I would call you guys to make sure that she had still gotten through to you. I guess not."

She shook her head, even though Jackie couldn't see her. "It must be the virus again."

The girl jumped off of her bed, pacing excitedly "So, what is it!? What's going on!? Does Matt know!?"

"Woah! Easy there, Jacks! Matt knows. In fact, he may be at Central Control as we speak."

"Well, okay…but what's going on? Did Mother B. explain anything?"

Before Inez could respond, a portal had opened up simultaneously in each of their rooms. They both stared at the purple object for a moment before speaking into the phone, saying their good-bye's in unison.

"Gotta go!" yelled Jackie.

"Later!" Inez called out.

Then, after hanging up on one another, and Jackie taking one last gulp of her root beer, they each leapt into their own portal, on their way to Cyberspace once again…

* * *

Digit paced back and fourth nervously as Doctor Marbles inspected anything that might be wrong with Motherboard's hard drive. Matt, who was preoccupied with his yo-yo, was sprawled out on a sofa, waiting for the arrival of Jackie and Inez.

Once Marbles had emerged out from underneath the console, Digit questioned him worriedly.

"Well, Doc? How's she doin'?"

Doctor Marbles looked down at the robotic bird with a smile, wiping his hands on a handkerchief. "She'll be fine, Digit. I was only doing a routine checkup…you knew that."

The cyboid looked confused. "I did…?"

He then waved a wing, as if coming to a realization. "Oh, sure! Of course I knew!"

"There was nothing really wrong, Digit…well, nothing new, anyway." He walked over to the main control panel atop the console. "It was just the virus…as usual." He said these last words through gritted teeth, thinking of Hacker.

Just then, the usual glow of a portal appeared, allowing the two young girls to walk right through, waving at their friends in waiting.

"Hey, Didge!" Jackie beamed. "Matt! Doctor M.!"

"What's going on now, Doctor Marbles?" asked Inez.

Instead of Marbles answering them, Matt had beaten him to the punch. "Not…a…thing!" He then stood up, putting his yo-yo away.

"And that's exactly why you are here, Cyber mates."

Everyone turned to face the large screen occupying most of the room. Motherboard had just awoken from sleep mode, and was now ready to explain the situation.

"So what is it this time, Mother B.?!" Jackie had become overly excited about the idea of being back in Cyberspace, fighting evil. "Is something wrong on one of the cyber sites…or is Hacker up to no good again?"

"Well, Jackie, that's-just it," she responded through the usual static. "Nothing."

"What do you mean, Motherboard?" asked Inez.

"She means exactly what she says," Matt answered her, walking up beside the two girls. "Nothing's wrong!"

Jackie, not quite getting it, just looks at him blankly for a moment. "But…but, why are we here then?!"

"Because, Jackie," came Digit's reply. "It's quiet . . .too quiet!" He threw his wings up into the air. "We haven't heard anything from Hacker in four weeks! That's almost a month!"

"Well, that's good, right?" Inez pointed out. "I mean, if he hasn't tried to take over Cyberspace, then doesn't that tell us that he might have given up…or maybe taken a vacation, or something?"

"Maybe, Inez." Dr. Marbles stepped forward. "But knowing Hacker, that isn't very likely. You see, the longer we don't hear from him, the more time he has to come up with a plan that we may not be able to prevent!"

He clenches a fist angrily. "We cannot let that happen…I won't let it!"

"Calm yourself, Dr. Marbles." It was now Motherboard's turn to share her opinion in the matter. "We do not know this for sure. But nevertheless, we must not let our guard down."

She turns her attention to the Cyber squad. "I need the four of you to investigate this. Even if The Hacker has decided to take a break from trying to rule over Cyberspace, he still might be up to something. No-exceptions."

"Right!" answered the three adolescents in unison.

"Yeah! We'll take care of it for ya', Motherboard!" Digit puffed up bravely "That creep doesn't scare us!"

True, Hacker didn't frighten Digit much anymore. But he was never comfortable with having to return to his old "home" in order to snoop on his former boss. Still, it was for Motherboard.

"I knew I could-count on you." She then spoke to the doctor. "Since we are not sure about his current location, Dr. Marbles, would you mind if they took the Cyber coupe? I'm afraid that I'm not really feeling up to the task of teleporting today."

"Not at all, Motherboard." He turned his attention to the group. "It should be all charged up and ready for departure. Just be careful. There are a few glitches that still need to be worked out, but only for the hyper accelerator."

"Hyper accelerator?" Jackie raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," replied Digit. "That's where you can go a lot faster than usual."

"Oh! You mean like light speed, or something?" exclaimed Matt. "Cool! Just like on Star Wars!"

"Actually, yes. That's just another word for it." Dr. Marbles answered, giving him a quizzical look, as he had no recognition of the concept of the movie. "But lately, I've been having some problems with engaging it. So try not to use it, unless it's _absolutely necessary_."

"You got it, Doc!" Matt solutes him, then turning to head into the direction of the launch bay. "Come on, Gang. We should check out the Northern Frontier first."

"Shot gun!" Yelled Inez, Jackie kicking the ground in disappointment.

"Oh, man," she fumed, following the others. "I never get shot gun!"

"Good luck…and be careful," Motherboard called after them.

Digit waved back at her and Dr. Marbles. "We'll be fine! This is routine for us!" After they had left through the sliding door, it closed tightly behind them.

Dr. Marbles shook his head, looking back up at the large monitor. "I don't like this. Hacker's been quiet for too long. He might have something dangerous planned." He turned his attention back towards the door. "More so than usual."

"I don't much care for it, either, Dr. Marbles," replied the cybernetic leader. "But we don't have a choice. If we do not find out what he is up to now . . .it might be too late to stop him later on."

Dr. Marbles sighed. "I know, Motherboard…I know."

"Besides," Motherboard assured him. "Digit's right. They know what they're doing."

"True," Marbles replied. "I just hope it isn't something that they can't handle…"

* * *

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!!"

Ivy sprinted down the hall, in the direction of Hacker's lab, a pink piece of paper gripped tightly in her small hand. She was wearing a pair of blue overalls with a light, purple shirt, along with white tennis shoes. She preferred this, rather than a dress. This made it easier to run through the Wreaker without feeling like too much of a "girl".

Upon arriving at the open doorway of the laboratory, she skidded to a halt, scanning the room. After half a second of searching, she had located her father; Hacker was seated at the controls for the machine that had created her. He was hunched over a debris of papers, notes written all over each one. He was asleep.

He'd finally gotten around to looking over the equations that had led to Ivy's "birth", and had been losing sleep in the process.

He also hadn't been wearing his usual attire. Instead, he now wore a short sleeve, pullover shirt with a three button collar, without his pocket protector. He still has his usual black pants and boots, but he's decided that the belt and cape seemed to get in the way, as he'd realized what a pain it was to keep taking the cape off whenever there was something that needed to be done…mainly when it involved anything having to do with Ivy. This included working on her room, childproofing the Grim Wreaker, or just spending time with her.

He actually didn't mind losing sleep over this last one.

Not really noticing his unconsciousness, Ivy runs over to him, standing at his side. She then begins to jump up and down excitedly, chanting.

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!!"

Hacker, scared witless, sits up straight almost immediately. "I DIDN'T DO IT! YOU CAN'T PROVE ANYTHING!"

Ivy stops jumping, staring at him blankly, still clutching the pink paper in her hand.

Hacker whips his head around frantically in all directions, before finally looking down at his side, where upon discovering her.

He sighs in relief, taking a few deep breaths. "Oh, Ivy…it's you."

After a moment of silence, Ivy raises an eyebrow at him. "Didn't do what, Daddy?"

Hacker scratches his head, not knowing how to respond. His outburst had been referring to the time on Sensible Flats, when he had been accused of having too much land. That was the first time that his enemies had actually been in favor of his innocence, as they had merely wanted the antidote to Motherboard's virus in return. Naturally, he didn't give it to them…being an evil genius, and all.

"Oh…_that_," he began, thinking fast. "I was just, uh, having a bad dream, is all." He casually stretched, yawning. "Nothing to worry about."

"M'kay." She then looked down at the paper in her hand, remembering why she was there in the first place. She threw her arms up into the air. "Daddy!"

"Yeah?" he asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Look at this!" She tried to bring the paper as close to his face as she could by standing on her tiptoes.

Hacker bent down and picked her up, setting her down on his lap. "What is it?" he asked, sounding interested, thinking it was another drawing of something.

"Read it! Read it!" She bounced up and down excitedly, holding the paper out to him.

"Okay! Settle down…I'll read it." He took the paper, reading it carefully, mumbling aloud as he did so;

'_R Fair City_

_Presents:_

_Family Day!_

_For one day only, all families get a free admission into_

_Cyberspace's largest Amusement Park; R Fair City!_

_Come and enjoy a day of fun with what this cyber site has to offer_

_both parents and their kids!'_

Hacker stared at the paper. "Uh-oh…" He looked down at the girl in his lap, right into those green eyes; It didn't take an evil genius to figure this one out.

"Can we go?!" she asked, looking up at him innocently. "Please?"

This wasn't what Hacker needed at the moment, with his lack of sleep…not to mention his lack of studying equations. He didn't have time for childish things like this! He was getting behind in his plans for world domination. And to top it all off, he still couldn't figure out what had happened to cause Ivy's creation. It was driving him crazy!

He looked down at the flyer again, then up at her. "Ivy…where did you get this?"

"From Wicked!" The girl smiled even more. "She brought it with her today!" She clasped her hands together. "So can we?! Please, please, pleeeeeaaaase can we go?!" Ivy batted her eyes adorably. "I'll love you forever…?"

He grinned, raising an eyebrow at her attempt. "Oh no, ya don't!" He pointed a finger at her. "Don't you try and pull that with me, young lady." He attempts to look serious. "Sympathy is NOT in my dictionary, and neither is flattery."

Then, without saying another word, the five year old adolescent's eyes began to glaze over with tears, and she had now stuck her bottom lip out, whimpering pathetically.

Hacker looked down at the girl, feeling horrible, even though he knew that she was only pretending to cry in order to get her way. He was beginning to soften…the cyborg couldn't bear to say no to his little girl…

After a moment of silence, he finally rolls his eyes, sighing. "All right, fine…you can stop now!"

Ivy does so, looking up at her father hopefully.

He shakes his head in defeat. "We can go."

Ivy jumped for joy at hearing this. She embraces his front torso. "Thanks, Daddy!" Before getting back down onto the floor, she gives him a kiss on the cheek, catching him off guard, as she had never done this before.

Once back down on the ground, she starts to head for the door, but stops, turning around to face him. "Is it okay if Buzz and Delete come, too?" She asked. "Cuz they're family, too, right?"

Hacker, who was in a state of shock from her action, just nodded. "Yeah…sure."

Ivy continued to smile as she turns back around, heading off through the lab door, in search of her two robotic friends.

Hacker sits in silence for quite some time, until he finally grins, looking up at the doorway. He was still getting used to little things like that. In fact, he wasn't sure if he'd ever become accustomed to it. The only thing he was worried about was becoming too soft to take over Cyberspace. With this in mind, he holds up the paper, groaning as he reads through it again.

"Perfect," he grumbles. "Not only am I exhausted, but now I have to face all of those sickeningly happy people and their snot-nosed little brats…"

He glances at the door again. "Well, I suppose some kids aren't _all_ bad." He grins slyly. "I bet any other father would kill to have a girl like-"

He stops, slowly glancing down at the pink paper currently in his hand, realizing his mistake. His eyes suddenly went wide with horror.

"Oh…no."

He jumps up from his chair, almost dropping the flyer. He paces back and fourth, not

believing that he could be so stupid!

This 'Family Day' business was exactly the kind of thing that he'd been trying to avoid!

What was the point of keeping the girl a secret if he was considering parading her around in the middle of the day, in a highly populated area that he was well known in…and not in a good way!

He looks down at the paper again, trying to think of how these thoughts had formed in his head in the first place. His eyes dart over to the lab's entrance, cocking an eyebrow at the empty doorway. He shakes his head again, speaking to himself aloud quietly, a confusing thought occurring to him…

"Wicked?"

To be continued…

* * *

Well, there's part one. So the next chapter is actually part 2 (duh). It's where I made changes, so incase you don't want to read through both parts 1 and 2, just to see what they are…skip to part 2.

But if you're reading this, than it's too late to give a heads up.

(shrugs) Ah, well.


	6. The Truth Comes Out Part II

_Note:_ I don't own any of the characters or ideas based on this show, save for Ivy… which surprises me, because she's just so gosh darn cute!! How I managed to fathom the idea of her creation…I will never know.

And now, on with Part II!!

* * *

**My One and Only: A Cyberchase Story**

**By Dramaqueen-8.0**

**Chapter 5: The Truth Comes Out**

**Part II**

In the kitchen, Wicked was currently working on putting away the groceries that she'd brought with her that day. She thought it best if she did the shopping, rather than Hacker, as he didn't know the first thing about healthy foods…being the brilliant person that he claimed to be.

However, Wicked was actually surprised at the progress Hacker had made. She never would have believed it if she hadn't seen it for herself; Hacker…a father. Not only was she surprised at this, but she was also impressed…proud even, at the fact that he actually wasn't too shabby at being a dad!

She sang aloud to herself softly while she walked around the room. Normally, she didn't sing in front of others. But she hadn't seen anyone the entire morning, save for Ivy, as she followed up on the routine she'd developed over the past few weeks, which consisted of minor chores here and there, or just anything that she might have missed in her determination to make Ivy's new home livable.

She opened a drawer to her left, pulling out a small towel. She ran warm water over it, rang it out, then started wiping down the counter in front of her, facing away from the door. While doing so, she began to day dream about things. Mainly the piece of information she had given Ivy.

Wicked grinned somewhat evilly as she remembered the pink parchment that she had given the girl earlier, saying that she should show it to her "daddy". She couldn't even imagine the look on Hacker's face when he would read through it . . .

'Hopefully priceless,' she thought, as she continued her light singing, still grinning at the thought while she proceeded to clean the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Hacker stomped through the ship, in search of The Wicked Witch, grumbling the entire time, determined on starting an argument with her about this flyer. He'd looked through most of the cybercraft already, and was now on his way to the kitchen.

However, upon reaching the entrance, he pauses, listening to the room's occupant as she sings. As it was obviously her, this baffled him. He had never heard her sing before. There was that one time on Happily Ever After, when he had tried to break through the large, glass "sky wall" covering the site. But that didn't count, as he'd found this type of singing to be much more enjoyable. To be honest, she actually wasn't half bad!

Hacker leaned forward, peering into the kitchen. He could see Wicked's back was turned, facing away from him. He slowly stepped into the room, staying by the door in silence as he listened. He was trying to decide if he should interrupt her and complain about the flyer she had given Ivy, or just stand out of site, waiting for her to finish whatever she was doing.

He decided to be a bit daring, taking a few more steps so he was further into the room. He now stood just a few feet away from her. Hacker leaned up against the wall, folding his arms, forgetting about his complaint he'd had in mind, if just for a moment, instead continuing to listen to Wicked's singing.

No sooner had he made himself comfortable, Wicked turned abruptly into his direction. Upon seeing him she jumps, accidentally flinging the damp rag at him out of reflex, hitting him square in the face.

Upon recognizing him, she relaxes, putting her hand to her chest. She glares at him. "What is WRONG with you!?"

Hacker reaches up to remove the rag. Unfortunately, she had beaten him to it. She swiped it off of him, spinning back around to throw it in the sink as she mutters, "sneaking up on me like that…you've got some nerve."

He looks on at her, taken aback. He finally shakes his head, coming back to reality. "Me? What about you!?" He points a finger at her while using the other hand to wipe access water from his face. "You didn't have to react like that! For once, I wasn't even doing anything wrong!" He waves the flyer in front of her. "Naturally, I can't say the same for you."

She gives the colored paper a quick glance before resuming her angry stare. "It's just something I got along with the rest of my junk mail. I thought she might get a kick out of it."

"Get a kick out of it?" He repeats roughly. "She's expecting me to actually take her to this thing!"

"So, why would she?" Wicked asked, going to the sink to put away some already washed dishes. "I told her not to get her hopes up."

Hacker remained silent, causing the witch to look over at him skeptically. She raises an eyebrow. "Why would she think that, Hacker?" She asked sternly.

The cyborg coughed, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Well, because…I said, we could go."

Wicked stared blankly, wondering if she'd heard right. "You're kidding."

"No, I'm not. Thanks to you." He flung the pink paper onto the table. "You know very well I can't say no to her. She's obviously inherited my manipulative traits. But, since this is your fault," he says smugly, tapping on the flyer. "You're taking her to this. Not me."

Wicked gave an agitated sigh. "And why is that?" She asked, knowing full well the answer.

He shakes his head, pointing an accusing finger at her. "Don't you dare play innocent with me, Witch. You know damn well why I can't."

She rolls her eyes. "Is it really so horrible for you to be seen with her in public. And since when are we on a last name basis?"

"It's not me I'm worried about. It's her. I could be risking a lot brining her out into the open now." He shakes his head. "There's no telling what would happen."

"Oh, Like what!?" she asks brashly. "No, wait, don't tell me. Let me guess." She gasps sarcastically, putting a hand to her mouth. "What if she gets cotton candy on your cape? Or worse…you spend all your money to win her a carnival prize worth one fourth of what you spent?"

"I have enemy's, Wicked! Don't think I don't know people have it in for me." He rubs the back of his neck, the conversation starting to get to him. "I can't risk that."

"It's a family amusement park, Hacker! Not a convention center for villains and cyber citizens that hate you!" She places her hands on her hips. "True, you don't have the best reputation on that particular site…but that's not her fault, now is it?"

Hacker turns slowly to face her, giving her a skeptical look. He eventually laughs halfheartedly. "Oh, now, I get it…this is a revenge thing for you isn't it?"

She looks on at him blankly for a moment before crossing her arms defiantly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Uh-huh." He raises an eyebrow, catching on to her plans. "Like you don't want me to humiliate myself in a public place, just so you can get back at me for Pompadoria…right?"

"You, are so childish!" she growls, resisting the urge to hit him in the jaw. "How infantile do you think I'd have to be to use your own daughter, a five year old child, to get back at you for something that doesn't even involve her?!"

Hacker shrugs mockingly, pretending to sound just as surprised. "Gee, I don't know! It's not like you'd be over exaggerating about something that might of happened between us, or anything like that!" He laughs again, crossing his arms again while he turns away from her. "Then again, I suppose you do overact about the smallest of things…you're famous for that."

"What!?" She turned to face him, furious at his comment. "Okay, you wanna talk about 'overreacting'? Fine," she says bitterly, ready to vent her bottled up anger from Pompadoria.

"As I recall, Hacker, you were the one who decided so many odd years ago that you wanted to become the supposed king of Cyberspace." She rolls her eyes as she says king. "And why? Who knows! But it's probably a stupid reason anyway!"

"There's nothing wrong with setting goals for one's future. Besides, I'd be able to run things a lot better than Motherboard and that bubble-headed twit ever could!" He glances at her over his shoulder. "You just wait."

"Ya know," she begins heatedly, ready to sock him right in the back of the head. "For someone who doesn't want his daughter to know that he's The Bad Guy, you sure aren't taking a path in the right direction any time soon."

Hacker whirls around to face her. She had apparently struck a nerve. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what it means." She takes a step forward. "Face it, Hacker. You're not going to change, even if it was for Ivy. There's no way you can!"

He narrows his eyes at her. "How would you know? You've never had a child! You'd be surprised what a parent would do for their kid!"

"You just now admitted to it, Hacker!" She throws her arms up into the air, aggravated. "You just now said how you could do a better job at rulling Cyberspace than anyone else!" It's her turn to glare. "Old habits die hard."

"Now you listen to me!" Hacker takes a step towards her, putting just inches between the two of them. He points a finger at her again, angry. "I'd said that I didn't want her to turn out like me. I never said that I was going to give up on taking over Cyberspace!"

Wicked gives another agitated growl, crossing her arms as she turns away from him. "Sometimes, I just can't understand what makes you act like this, Hacker!"

She glares at the cyborg over her shoulder. "I bet you wouldn't understand, either," she says through gritted teeth. "Not if you could see it for yourself…maybe then you'd actually wise up a little."

She laughs harshly, turning to face him again. "Ya know, that's not a bad idea! Maybe you _should_ have cameras installed around here, or something. Maybe then you could actually get an idea as to what causes your 'diabolical plans' to fail so badly!"

"As a matter of fact," he responds smugly. "There already _are _cameras in the Grim Wreaker. I had them installed after those earth brats first tried to break in here."

"Really." Wicked gives him a dull, yet stern look, not surprised at this. Despite her anger, she enjoyed the fact that Hacker had just unknowingly made fun of himself by bringing up the cameras. Although, she continues to not be amused.

"Yes." He begins to count on his right hand, while pacing heatedly. "There's one in here…the main control room…all the hallways…even my laboratory is under surveillance-"

Hacker stops. "The lab?"

Wicked sees this. She laughs at him yet again. "Oh, what's the matter, Hacker? Too many cameras to remember? An evil genius that can't count…now that's rich!"

He shakes his head slowly, not really listening to her anymore, as something had dawned on him "There's a camera in my lab."

The witch raises an eyebrow at him. "Um, yeah, I know…you just said there was."

"No!" He says quickly. "Don't you understand?" He goes over to her, grasping her by the arms, forgetting all about their argument. "There's a camera in my laboratory!"

"Yes! There is!" Wicked answers, taken aback by his sudden enthusiasm. "What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing!" he laughs. "Nothing at all! Not any more!" He lets her go, heading towards the door.

He then stops, going over to her again. Without warning, he gives her a quick kiss on the mouth. "Wicked, you're a genius!" He then leaves the room as quickly as possible, heading in the direction of his lab.

Wicked is left alone in the kitchen, confused beyond all forms of explanation. She tried to understand what had just happened; They'd gone from screaming at one another, one ready to strangle the other…to Hacker kissing her? What was going on?!

She shook her head, looking at the doorway. "Um…thank, thank you?" she manages to say, despite the loss of feeling in her brain from what had just happened. "Wait…what?!" She runs out of the kitchen, catching up to him. "Hacker, what's-"

"You know how paranoid I've been about how it was that I ended up with Ivy instead of what I had originally planned?" Hacker asked her without stopping to look back at her.

"Uh-huh?" She skipped a few times, trying to keep up with the overly excited cyborg.

"Well, if I can play back the footage from the camera in my lab…from about a month ago…then maybe it will tell me what might have happened during those three days that she was in that pod!"

Hacker rushes through the open doorway of his laboratory, heading straight for the computer consol displaying the same controls used to operate the pod resulting in Ivy's exsistance. Upon reaching his chair, he whirls it around, plopping himself down onto it and turning to face the computer. He then proceeds to type furiously on the keyboard in front of him.

Wicked comes up behind him, watching him type over his shoulder. She still expresses a look of confusion.

Without looking up from his task, Hacker continues to speak out loud, more to himself than to Wicked. "For weeks I've been going about this all wrong! I kept thinking that perhaps my plans had failed because there had been a flaw in my equations…but I know for a fact that this plan, aside from many others that I've come up with, was absolutely full proof! It was practically years in the making."

Wicked looks on at the computer, trying to read whatever commands he might be typing. "But I don't understand how a camera ties into all this."

Hacker chortled. "_That_, my dear Wicked Witch, is why _I_ am the evil genius."

She glared at the back of his head, about to respond when the words on the screen are suddenly replaced by that of a picture. It displays the lab itself, occupied by only the two of them standing in front of the consol. Seeing this, Wicked turns, looking in all directions, trying to spot the source of the camera. She spots the barely noticeable device in one of the far corners of the room. She then faces Hacker again.

"What now?" she asks.

"Well," he answers distractedly, focusing even more on the screen in front of him. "Now I just need to type in the date that I wish to observe…," he enters some more numbers using the keypad, "and hope that I can find something useful."

"Like what?"

"Perhaps Ivy's birth had nothing to do with something that I might have done…but rather the machine itself."

He continues typing. "I can use the surveillance camera hidden in the lab to see if something might have gone wrong with it while I was out of the room."

Wicked gives a light 'ha', muttering, "after all this time, you're just now thinking of this?"

He pretends not to hear this, but rather concentrating on the task at hand.

The screen goes blank for a moment, as the large machine omits light clicking and whirring sounds as it tries to find what its creator has requested to see. A few seconds of silence go by between the two, the computer being the only source of noise in the room, when suddenly another picture is now shown on the screen. This time, it's that of Hacker, Buzz and Delete. Hacker is showing them the pod, trying to explain its purpose. No sounds can be heard as the picture is set on _pause_.

"Here we go…" Hacker then uses a large nob in front of him to fast forward the image just a little more. Once the desired image can be seen, he reaches out and presses the _play_ button. The two then sit back and watch as the Hacker on the screen inputs his instructions into the computer, once in a while yelling at Buzz and Delete.

"Find anything?" she asks, peering over his shoulder.

He shakes his head. "No, not yet. But I'll try moving ahead a few days, see if something happens."

He does so, occasionally rewinding or fast forwarding through some things, stopping to listen to his recorded image banter on about world domination;

'_And with my heir at my side, I'll be ruling over Cyberspace with the iron fist that I've desired for so long! With him at my side, Motherboard and those little brats of hers will finally fall, and I, The Hacker, will have ultimate control for many years to come!'_

Hacker frowns, turning to face Wicked. "Do I really sound like that?"

Wicked almost lets out a snort of laughter, but manages to cover for it by clearing her throat and coughing a few times. "Well, ya know…on some occasions, you do tend to, sort of…over do it." She quickly adds, "but only a little!"

It had been about fifteen minutes since Hacker had first sat down at his computer, still playing with the many controls in front of him, making sure not to miss anything, until finally he comes across something that he did not expect…yet on some level, he didn't find it all that surprising;

Delete is now on the screen, sleepwalking into the lab and over to the control panel, pressing a blue button, causing the glow of the pod in the background to increase. He then proceeds to press a green button, making even more changes to the computer as his metallic hand grazes over the keyboard, hitting keys here and there. And finally, so as to save whatever changes had been made, the sleeping form of Delete unknowingly moves on to press the large yellow button. He then wakes up, not noticing what he has just done, leaving the lab to no doubt go back to bed.

Once Delete is off camera, Hacker reaches out a numb hand, pausing the video. He then continues to just sit…sit and stare at the monitor in front of him, unable to believe what he had just witnessed. Wicked, on the other hand is trying very hard to stifle her laughter again, and close to failing.

"Well," she finally says shakily. "Looks like you were right…it wasn't your fault after all."

"Huh," he mutters, still facing the screen. There was the answer he'd been looking for. This whole time he'd thought Ivy's birth was his doing, resulting from mistakes he might have made on some equations, to now find that it had only been Delete.

Wicked, not expecting this reaction, looks down at the cyborg with concern. "Hacker? Are you alright?"

When he doesn't answer, she places a hand on his shoulder. "Hacker?"

"Hmm?" He looks up at her as if noticing her for the first time. "Oh, sorry. I was just thinking that, uh…well," he laughs dryly. "Actually, I have no idea what to think, to be honest with you." He faces the monitor again. "I really don't."

"Okay," she says slowly, eyebrow raised. She, too, looks at the monitor. "So…do you want to do it, or should I?"

"Do what?" He rubs in between his eyes. It's been a very long few weeks.

"Give them the usual thrashing they normally get when they've messed up your plans."

"Oh," he coughs, "that." He turns slightly in his chair, arms folded. "No, Wicked. I hate to say it, but…I think I can let them off, just this once. After all," he looks up at her with that notorious grin of his. "She's not that bad of a mistake, now is she?"

Wicked sighs, glad that he's taking this news so well. "No…no she's not."

Hacker chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. He then sighed. "At least I don't have to worry about this gnawing away at my brain anymore." He reaches over to the keyboard, pressing a few buttons here and there, untill the screen is replaced by that of the lab's present interior, the camera now watching the two of them.

Wicked shakes her head. "Do you really have cameras in _all_ of the rooms?" she asks, out of curiosity.

"Of course," he waves a hand at her. "But mainly just in areas that contain the most activity. For instance…"

He goes to work on the keyboard again, having the monitor display the kitchen just moments before. It shows Hacker and Wicked at each others throats, argueing heatedly. "I'd call that rather active, wouldn't you?" He grins up at her.

"You started that." She glared down at him, not really angry anymore, as she'd gotten a few things off her chest.

"Yeah, well…" He fast forwards the image a little, stopping on the part where he kisses her. "I ended it, too. And quite well, if I do say so myself."

Wicked laughs. "Oh, I wouldn't be too-"

She suddenly becomes silent, staring at the screen. "Hacker," she asks, quietly. "What's that?"

"What?" He looks at the screen, not seeing anything.

"No, go back," she says urgently. "Go back!"

He quickly does as he's told, stopping the tape, showing them exiting the kitchen, he then rewinds it so they are back in the kitchen. "Wicked, what did-"

"Stop!" She points at the screen, indicating something in the corner, near the kitchen door. Something they wouldn't have seen unless they looked hard enough. "There."

Hacker looks at the small fuzzy object He squints, trying to make it out. After a moment of silence, it feels as if lightning has struck his brain. His eyes widen in terror.

"No…no it, it can't be". He switches the view to a different camera, showing the hallway a little ways from the kitchen, just in time to see the two adults running in the direction of the lab, the shape close behind them.

"Oh no." Another camera shows them racing inside of the laboratory, the same small shape follows at a short distance, stopping to linger at the entrance.

Wicked has her hand over her mouth, gasping at the next image, which displays the lab. But this time, it's a live feed, not a recording. There's a horrible feeling in the pit of Hacker's stomach, seeing the small figure yet again. This time, it stands in the laboratory door, placing it right behind them.

Hacker jumps up and out of his chair in an instant, turning to face the door.

"Ivy," he croaks, upon seeing their follower.

Sure enough, there, in front of them, stands the little girl with green skin and curly black hair. The pink flyer she'd been carrying around with her falls from her grip, fluttering to the floor at her feet. She looks on at her father with both confusion, and pure horror.

She'd heard everything.

Hacker takes a step towards his daughter. "Ivy."

Ivy shakes her head frantically, moving further away from him.

"Ivy, please," he says, still at a loss for words. He knew that she would eventually find out who he really was…but not like this…not by accident. "Honey, let me explain-"

She shakes her head again, tears coming to her green eyes. "Doctor Marbles was right." She raises her tone to him, voice shaking. "You _are_ a bad man!"

Before either of the adults are able to react, Ivy turns tail, running out of the lab.

"Ivy!" Hacker cries. He turns desperately to Wicked, who only looks down at the floor, not saying a word. This wasn't the time to use her "I told you so" attitude. He looks on at his colleague, not knowing what to do. "Wicked?"

She glances over at the now empty doorway. Eventually, she just sighs, looking over at him again. "I'll go talk to her…find out what she knows." She walks towards the entrance.

Hacker goes to follow her, until she brings a hand up, stopping him. She shakes her head. "You'd better not."

"But, I have to talk to her about this. I have to explain it to her," he argues, trying to hide the desperate tone in his voice. "God knows how much she heard us discussing! Not to mention the video of me ranting like a lunatic! She…she needs me." He tries to get passed her. "I'm her father!"

"Hacker," said the witch gently, "Her father is the last person she needs to see right now."

The cyborg just looks on at her, shocked at hearing this, but at the same time he knows she's right. He didn't want to admit it, but Ivy hated him right now, and it was his own fault. If he had just told her all of this weeks ago…

She probably would have reacted the same, anyhow. There was no avoiding the fact that he couldn't live this lie forever. As much as he loves his innocent, little girl…as much as he wants her to stay just that, she still had the right to know who he really was.

He didn't want to…but he would have to let her choose her own path, the life she would eventually come to live, regardless of whether or not he would be involved. The one thing constantly on his mind for an entire month. The one thing he has come to fear; letting her go.

After a long silence, he nods, sitting back down in his chair. Without looking up he says quietly, "Do what you have to."

Without a word, Wicked begins to slowly leave the room.

"Wait," he says from behind her. She turns, seeing into his eyes. She can't recall them ever looking so sad before.

"Yes?"

He just looks up at her, not really knowing what to say. He thought he did, wanting to tell her to take it easy on Ivy, not giving the poor girl every single horrible detail…or maybe he wanted to change his mind, still insisting that he himself go to her instead, wanting to take responsibility for things, despite Wicked's warnings. But now, all he can do is just look up at the woman in front of him.

For the first time, The Hacker is at a loss for words.

"Hacker?"

Finally, averting his gaze from hers, he turns his chair, pretending to look over some notes, attempting to regain his composure as a villain. Hacker then sighs, answering, "Don't sugar coat it for her." He pauses. "She needs to know everything."

"Everything?" She repeats, raising an eyebrow, not really expecting this. "Hacker, are you sure about that? I mean, you have done some-"

"I'm sure," he says in a low voice, still not facing her. He looks up from his false reading, staring at the blank computer screen in front of him, seeing the reflection of a large machine in the corner of the lab, consisting of a pod-like structure, the door tightly sealed.

"After all…" He turns his chair slightly, giving a side glance at her. He forces a grin, the one that The Hacker is known for thoughout the world of cybernetics. The one he'd given her earlier. But in a way, it's not the same, as something about it's changed…

"She _is_ my hier, isn't she?"

Wicked looks on at the cyborg, amazed at the sudden transformation back to his old self. After a long silence she says, rather sternly, "Yes…she is." She turns, but not without giving him a cold look before leaving the room, off to search for the small girl.

Once the witch is out of the room, however, The Hacker stops pretending to ruffle through the papers in front of him. Instead, propping his elbows up, hiding his face in his green hands…

"What have I done?"

To be continued…

* * *

Whoa…I don't know about ya'll, but that was crazy, and yet kinda sad at the same time. (tear)

I hope I can get my next chapter out soon. This fic should only have two more to go. If you feel the need to chew me out for not producing the said material much sooner, you're sure welcome to do so. Otherwise, be patient, as it will eventually come. I mean, I did manage to get this one out, didn't I? pause

Didn't I? uncomfortable silence

Don't gimme that look!

TTFN;)


	7. A Wrongful Rescue

Note: I do not own Cyberchase blahblahblah. Ivy is my own creation yaddayaddayadda.

O. M. G! That's right, I'm back, yo! Miss me? I know, I know. I suck for not having anything to do with this story for a ridiculous amount of time. I'll understand if you're a tad mad at me. But hey, it's not like I'm the only person in the world that's suffered from writer's block before…

For, like, 5 years straight…give or take…okay, maybe that's just a smidge longer than average…

*cough* *shuffle feet*

Are you gonna sit there and judge me all friggin' day or are you going to read something?

SHEESH!

Oh, for those of you who haven't read this in forever, ya might wanna go back and get a refresh as to what's going on. Again, sooooo sorry for the delay!

**My One and Only: A Cyberspace Story**

**By LaurenShort-DisneyFan (Formerly Dramaqueen-8.0)**

**Chapter 7: A Wrongful Rescue**

"I don't know about you guys…but to me, something is definitely _not_ right here."

Even as Inez said this, she wasn't looking over at her fellow teammates. If she had been, they wouldn't have returned the gesture, as they were staring at an all too familiar sight before them. And yet, as Inez had stated, there was something different about it…

The large metallic structure that sheltered the Grim Wreaker, normally, was filled with all sorts of debris; scraps of paper, metal, parts from old inventions, some of which the cyber squad recognized from past dealings with Hacker. But now, all that is missing, making the large storage unit rather spacious. As they crept further into the storage area, details are still quite noticeable, such as the lack of dust on the floors and other pieces of furniture.

"It's not just you, Inez," said Matt quietly, looking over an old workbench as they walk past, recalling to have seen it on their last visit to the Northern Frontier, only this time it's completely devoid of any parts that had been there before. It's been dusted and polished to shine. "Since when is The Hacker familiar with spring cleaning?"

"Yeah," said Jackie, just as quietly, not waning to give away their presence. "I don't think this place has ever been so spotless. I mean, I can even see the floor now! Did you guys know that the walls are blue, but the floor is a shade of purple? It's actually kinda tasteful…ya know, for Hacker."

Inez looks down at Digit. "Did it _ever _look like this when you were here, Didge?"

"Oh, sure." He rolls his eyes, despite his fear. "When he first built it. Then, one week later, bam!" He scans the room again, noticing a closet door out of the corner of his eye. It stood out because it was almost bulging to the point of breaking off the hinges. He ignores it, continuing. "He had Buzz, Delete and me always try to clean up once in a while, but it wouldn't do any good. Sheesh, what a pack rat! He never throws out anything, especially his old inventions."

"That I can believe." Matt scans the room, keeping a look out for anyone besides themselves. "But what if he doesn't live here any more?"

"What do you mean?" questions Jackie.

"Well, what if he sold the place? Ya know, so he can find a different hideout, or something."

"I don't know," said Digit skeptically. "Hacker never liked moving around too often. He never was much for change. Besides, the Wreaker is still here."

"Okay, then maybe he just hired somebody to clean for him, like a maid," Matt insisted, not giving up on a reasonable explanation. "Even bad guys need a good place to work in, right?"

"Matt, please." Jackie looks at him like he's crazy. "What maid in their right mind would-"

She's cut off by the sound of footsteps on a metal surface, and they're moving fast, as well as getting louder. Someone was coming out of the Grim Wreaker.

"Quick," Digit hissed. "Hide!"

The three kids follow him as he ducks out of sight behind another workbench. Once safely out of view, they peer out into the open, watching the ramp leading from the ship in silence. Naturally, the person coming down that ramp is far from what they could have expected.

They gasp as a young girl comes running down the ramp, followed by two metallic figures.

"Come on, Ivy, wait up!" Buzz pants. "Please? Get back up here, will ya?"

"Yeah!" Delete pleads, breathing just as hard as his brother. "Yer not supposed to leave the ship alone…remem-AHH!"

Delete begins to stumble, tripping over his foot. He tries to yell out to Buzz, but falls on top of him before he gets a chance to. They both roll down the ramp, landing in a heap with a loud THUD at the base.

The child continues to run away from her pursuers, not looking back. "No," she cries. "Leave me alone!"

"Who's that?" Jackie whispers to the cyboid next to her.

"Beats me," he answers. "But if she's here, it can't be a good thing!"

"Well, what're we waiting for?" Matt jumps up from their hiding spot. "Come on! We have to help her!"

The others hurry after him, following Buzz and Delete.

Ivy runs outside of the holding area, making her way around the corner of the building. She has no idea where she's going. She just wants to get away from here.

After overhearing everything The Wicked Witch and Hacker had been saying, crying and running are the only things she wants to do right now. She had tried hiding on the ship so she could be alone, but Buzz and Delete had found her. When they asked her what was wrong, she only ran, wanting to be alone again.

Ivy didn't know what to think about all this. She didn't know whether to be frightened, angry, or just confused as she tries to get as far away from here as she can. She turns another corner, making her way to the back of the large metallic structure that she'd known as home, ever since her birth.

Ivy stops abruptly, nearly running into a small, pod like ship. Obviously not a normal part of her surroundings, she looks on at it with both fear and curiosity. For a split second, she'd forgotten why she was running.

She approaches the craft, reaching out a small hand, feeling the cool metal surface. "Where did this come from-?"

"Which way did she go, Matt? I didn't see where she went?"

"Let's try back here!"

She gasps at hearing voices from behind her, coming around the same corner she had. But these were voices she'd never heard before. It couldn't be Buzz or Delete, because that sounded like a girl's voice. And who was Matt?

Ivy looks around frantically, hoping to find a hiding spot. Her heart beats faster as the footsteps of this "Matt" and other strangers get closer. Without giving it another thought, she dives underneath the small ship, her feet disappearing from site just as the cyber squad turns the corner, their sneakers kicking up dust.

"She's gone!" Digit stated, looking in all directions, panting. "Man, that kid is fast!"

"She's gotta be around here somewhere, guys," said Inez. "Hurry. We have to find her before Buzz and Delete find out we're here."

The four of them split up, hoping to spot the silhouette of a small girl. Digit heads into the direction of the cyber coupe, looking into the windows. Meanwhile, Ivy covers her mouth, attempting to stay quiet. Was it a good or bad thing they were looking for her? Come to think of it, _why_ were they looking for her? She'd never seen them before.

"Digit?" Jackie called out from behind him. "Find anything?"

Ivy stared at the red shoes just inches in front of her, hoping he didn't kick up any more dust. It was making her nose itch.

Digit…Where had she heard that name before?

"She ain't in here, guys," he shouts out to them.

"Are you sure, Didge?" Inez yelled back, continuing to squint while taking in the desert-like surroundings "There's no way she could have gotten too far."

Digit sighs. "I'll check again." He activates the propeller on his tail, flying over the coupe to the other side, blowing up some dust as he does so. He checks the other windows thoroughly. "Still nothing," he mutters to himself, looking around scratching his head. "Where could she be?"

Meanwhile, Ivy's eyes begin to water from the cloud of dust. Despite her efforts in covering her mouth, she can't help it any longer. She takes in a few quick breaths, unable to stop herself.

"Ah…ah…ah-CHOO!"

She had sneezed so hard, it sent her flying out from underneath the small craft, plowing right over Digit, who didn't see her in time for him to move.

"Yoinks!" he called out in surprise as she landed on top of him, stirring up still more dust.

Ivy shook her head, not knowing what had just happened. She looks around in a panic, realizing she's out in the open, failing to notice the figure she's sitting on top of.

Digit rubs the top of his head, letting out a groan that causes her to gasp. She swivels her smaller head around to see a large purple bird underneath her. She lets out a shriek, jumping off of him and sprinting towards her previous hiding place. She looks out at him from under the coupe in terror, not knowing what to expect.

"I think, I found her," Digit grumbles.

"Didge, what happened?" said Matt, who, after hearing his call, came back towards their ship, Jackie and Inez closely in tow. "Where'd she go?"

After dusting himself off, he pointed with his wing. The three Earth kids look at one another, then all bending down closer to the ground to see. They're all silent as they only stare at what appears to be a small, green child with black hair and even greener eyes, which are as wide as saucers from fear at the site of four strangers looking on at her.

"Hi there," Inez says gently. "What's your name?"

Ivy doesn't answer. Only breathing heavily out of panic.

"It's alright, Kid," says Matt. "We're not the ones you need to worry about."

Jackie elbows him in the side, causing him to shrug at the dirty look he receives.

"Poor thing," Jackie sympathizes. "It's okay. We won't hurt you. We're here to help."

This catches Ivy's attention. She raises an eyebrow at them. "Help?"

"Yeah," says Digit, trying not to sound forceful. "We need to get you outta here before Hacker comes looking for you."

"You do?" she asks, wondering how they know her father, or for that matter, how they knew she was trying to run away. "Why?"

"Well," It's Inez's turn to try and persuade her to let them help. "He's the bad guy, right?"

"He is?" Despite her asking, she already knows the answer.

Matt nods. "Yep. Rotten to the core. The meanest, not to mention most evil being in all of Cyberspace…always trying to take over the world and cause bad things to happen. Ya know, villain stuff."

"What we mean to say is," Jackie says rather loudly, signaling for Matt to shut it. "It's not safe here for you."

"And you don't want him to find you," Digit adds. "Do you?"

At hearing this, her eyes begin to sting as they threaten to tear up again. She thinks back to her father on several separate occasions; the day she had come out of the pod and he'd seen her for the first time…when he had introduced her to Wicked on the phone and in person…when he'd played hide and seek with her a number of times. She also remembered when she had called out to him when she was looking for him, and how he'd nearly had a panic attack from worrying about her.

But this is soon forgotten, as she recalls the events of the day, putting her in the situation that she was now in.

She looks down at the ground, expressing an angry look. "No…I don't want to talk him. Never, ever again."

"Umm, okay then?" Matt says questioningly to the others, who only shrug, just as thrown off by this as him. He offers a hand to her. "Hurry. We should go before someone finds us here."

She looks up at them again, mainly at the strange purple bird called Digit. "Where-"

A crash is heard around the corner of the building, followed up by an agitated voice.

"Deeds, Why would she be in that pile a junk?"

"Well, I don't know, Buzzie. She is pretty small. She could fit in there."

The kids gasp. Matt reaches for Ivy, pulling her out from under the cyber craft. "Come on!" He says in a hushed, yet frantic voice. "Let's get her outta here!"

"Hey," Ivy struggled in his grasp. "Put me down!" She was having second thoughts about going with them. But if she did, they might be able to tell her more about her father. With this in mind, she settles down, allowing the redhead to put her inside of the cyber coupe.

Once everyone was aboard the small craft, Digit started up the engine, flipping switches and pushing buttons rapidly in an attempt to leave before the two dimwitted assistants caught site of them. Matt, seated in front next to him, buckles his seat belt, Jackie and Inez, seated in back with Ivy, do the same. Jackie reaches out to Ivy's sides, strapping her in as well.

"Floor it, Didge!" shouts Inez.

Digit obeys, jamming the pedal down as far as it will go. The jolt causes Ivy to grip the seat below her. She gasps, "No, wait!" She undoes her safety belt, standing to look out the window, beginning to doubt going along with the newcomers. She pushes on the glass dome in hopes of it giving way, letting her out of the ship. But it was no use.

"It's okay, Ivy." Inez did her best to sit her back down. "We'll be off this site in just a second," she says at the top of her voice, as the loud roar of the engine intensifies.

"You don't, understand." She stands up again, looking for Buzz and Delete outside. "We can't leave my friends here," Ivy pleads as they rise off the ground, descending upward. "Go back!"

The cyber coupe continues to rise up and over the Northern Frontier, the five year old's cries gone unheard. All she can do is look down on the two metallic figures, returning the gaze up at her, shouting up at the craft and waving their arms frantically.

For the second time in her short life, Ivy experiences fear, hatred, heartache, confusion and above all else, betrayal. Coincidently, it's all in the same day.

"So," Matt asks from the front seat, bringing her attention away from the window. "Ya got a name, Kid?"

She glances down sadly. "It's Ivy…Just Ivy."

"Well," Jackie begins, glancing over at Inez. "What were you doing in the Northern Frontier!"

"Yeah, and where are your parents?" Digit asked, not taking his eyes away from the empty cybernetic space in front of them. "We should really get you home."

"Parents?" Ivy looks out the window, watching the site she's known to be her home for the past few months shrink into the distance.

Matt turned around to face her. "Ya know. A Mom, or a Dad?" He pauses, observing her silent response as she continues to look glumly out into space. He looks over at the two girls who only shrug. There was obviously something strange about this little girl, but none of them could put a finger on it.

Inez leans forward to get a better view of her. "Ivy?"

Ivy looks over at the speaker, her eyes filled with so many emotions it's impossible for them to tell what it is she's thinking.

"You, do have parents…don't you?" she asked gently, hoping they didn't get the answer they were all expecting. If she was on the same site as The Hacker, with no parental supervision, not to mention being chased down by two robotic henchman, then there was a good chance her parents, if she had any, were still back with the tyrant. And if that were the case, they hoped it wasn't too late to go back and help them.

Ivy just looks on at the four strangers surrounding her, receiving their full attention. Even the purple cybernetic bird at the helm listens intently, stealing glances at her in the rearview mirror.

"It's okay, Ivy," Digit finally says. "You can trust us. We're the good guys! We're with Motherboard and Doctor Marbles."

After a moment of silence, Ivy takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She didn't know why but she suddenly feels very tired, physically drained, as if she hasn't slept in days. It didn't help that she had to explain to these four individuals she'd just met a few minutes ago that she'd been conjured in a pod, instead of being born the conventional way.

But despite this, she does have a father. She knows she must tell them at least that much.

She thinks back to earlier that day, to the last time she'd spoken to him; how he'd promised to take her to an amusement park, just the five of them. She hadn't asked him, but she wanted Wicked to come along. She liked her, and she knew that her father liked her too, but he would never actually tell her. Ivy's intentions were to get them together for a day of fun. Maybe then things would be okay.

But now? Now she just wasn't sure of anything anymore.

She looks at each of the teenagers before looking down at her dangling feet.

"Yes…I, have a daddy." She glances up at them again, this time not just with fear, but with tears in her eyes. "He's back there…in his lab, with Ms. Wicked."

She pauses, observing their raised eyebrows before she continues. "But they're busy talking. Something about him not changing his ways. I don't know." She wipes at her eyes and under her nose. "But, it's not a good idea for you to go back there, though." Ivy looks up at the rearview mirror, catching Digit's eye. She shakes her head. "I don't think he likes Doctor Marbles very much."

* * *

Hacker had hardly moved an inch since Wicked left him alone. He could only stare blankly at the crumpled up papers in front of him, unable to focus his eyes on the numeric equations written upon them. His hands had become numb from being folded up under his chin for so long, much like his entire body.

He felt nothing, as if he were asleep. But he knew he wasn't. What had just happened a few moments ago was no nightmare. It was real… Ivy really hated him. And he only had himself to blame. The more this thought ran through his mind, the more he wanted to wake up.

Finally, he unlocks his fingers, slowly folding back the top of each page of notes, doing his best to focus his mind on something else, trying not to think about what horrible things Wicked might be telling Ivy that very second-

Hacker froze. His hand tightly gripping the second to last page in the unkempt stack of observations. His eyes dart back and forth on the top part of it, catching site of something out of the ordinary. He pulls it out from underneath the other papers, scanning further on down the page. His brow furrows with each bit of notes he reads.

Something he'd caught site of hadn't made sense. It was the analyzed data used when he'd first began construction on the pod that had created Ivy. Not just the pod, but the energy used in powering it…

His eyes widen as he goes over the same notes again. He then frantically sifts through the pile laid out before him, reading over another set of notes. He shakes his head.

"This, can't be right." He says in disbelief, looking between the two pages.

Hacker is suddenly stricken with terrible realization, jolting to his feet, forcing his chair back a few feet in the process.

"Oh, God," he states. "Ivy!"

He turns and rushes out of the lab at a full sprint, now in a hurry to find the young girl, afraid he might not have caught site of this horrible error in time.

* * *

To Be Continued…

Holy crap! Ya know, he probably should've had that little talk with her about not taking rides from strangers…Strangers being four kids and a purple bird wearing tennis shoes.

Stay tuned…

Oh, and if anyone actually still has feedback out there and wants to share it…awesome! Go for it!


	8. The Bad News

Note: Cyberchase has nothing to do with me personally…which really sucks because it's awesome!

I'm not going to bore you with too much, so I'll just tell you that in this chapter you'll get to see what Hacker discovered in the last chapter. You Cybersquad fans out there will be happy to know that the majority if this chapter involves them.

Enjoy!

* * *

**My One and Only: A Cyberspace Story**

**By LaurenShort-DisneyFan (Formerly Dramaqueen-8.0)**

**Chapter 8: The Bad News**

"Bless my circuits!" Dr. Marbles breathed, examining the young girl on the medical table in front of him. He fidgets with his glasses as he looks her over. "This is quite remarkable."

"Um…thank you?" Ivy responded, not really enjoying the curious stares from everyone since she'd arrived. She's no longer wearing what she had on before, but instead adorns a hospital gown.

Once the group had fled from the Northern Frontier, the long ride back to Central Control had gone by much faster for the teens and Digit, hanging on every word the small green girl had to say as she did her best to describe the past weeks. She'd told them how she'd been created, how the man she'd come to call her father had been hiding his true colors from her, lying to her as he pretended to be something that he wasn't.

After she had finished, it was the cyber squad's turn to offer their take on Hacker. Normally, when it came to describing the villain to an unsuspecting citizen of Cyberspace, they had no problem dishing out the dirt on him. But this time, it was different. Much different. It was difficult for them to explain to a child that the one person she shouldn't trust was the same person who had given her life, giving them probable cause to believe she was The Hacker's latest scheme in the works.

Upon reaching their destination, they wasted no time in getting Ivy to the Doc, knowing there had to be more to this than what Ivy had been able to tell them. Considering who Hacker was, it couldn't be a good thing. For all they knew, the girl might just be a distraction, or pose some kind of hidden threat. Either way, they weren't about to take any chances.

Doctor Marbles, after being briefed on some of the already fuzzy details, went straight to work, giving Ivy a full physical, determining whether or not if she's dangerous to any of them. Even herself.

He was surprised to find her to be very cooperative for someone so young…and even more surprised to learn who she had originated from. Her bizarre, yet understanding behavior only raising further questions…

"Mr. Marbles?" She asks suddenly, breaking the silence as he takes her blood pressure. She points up at his large cranium. "Do you ever have to change your light bulb? Cuz, I saw on TV, whenever someone has an idea, a light bulb comes on over their heads, and since you're really really smart, yours must come on all the time, right? So does that mean it burns out sometimes if you use it too much?"

The doctor suppresses a laugh. "Oh, I don't believe so. It's really just more for show."

Ivy blinks. "Oh." She pauses, still staring at his head. "Well…that doesn't make much sense."

Marbles gives her a grin before standing up straight, speaking to the Earthlings. "There's definitely nothing wrong with her curiosity…and I don't need any test to tell you that."

"Tell me about it," said Digit, wings crossed. "The whole way here, it was non stop with the questions: What site is that? What's Earth? Why is he purple? And, Ooh, what's this button do!"

"Give the kid a break, Didge," says Matt. "This is her first time being anywhere except the Northern Frontier. Wouldn't you be curious if all you've ever had to deal with is Buzz and Delete?"

Digit gives a nod. "Okay. I'll give ya that…Still, it wouldn't have killed the guy to take her for a walk or something. Ya know, so she wouldn't have been so surprised. That's all."

"This certainly would explain Hacker's absence over the past few months, that's for sure," the doctor adds. "No doubt keeping him at bay on the sight, preventing him from actually going anywhere too far or for too long."

"He probably didn't want anyone to know she existed yet." Inez adds her opinion. "He probably wanted to keep it all a secret."

"Huh," Jackie mutters to herself. "I wonder why he'd want to…she seems okay to me."

Doctor Marbles proceeds to move over to a printer, snatching up what's in the paper tray and reading over the notes he'd taken over the past half hour carefully. After a moment, his brow furrows. "Most unusual…"

"What is it, Doc?" Matt steps forward, not liking his solemn tone.

"Well, according to these readings-"

He stops, looking over at the young girl, whose focus is now on her small feet as they swing back and forth below her. He then nods towards the medical room door, indicating they needed to step out of the room for this. He then turns to Ivy. "My dear, will you be alright with Digit for a moment? I just need to have a quick word with the others."

She nods, smiling innocently as she resumes studying her ten toes.

Doctor Marbles leads the group out of earshot of the toddler, his serious expression unchanged, releasing a deep sigh before he begins. "I don't know how to put this, but…" He glances back into the room at the young girl then back at the others, his voice even lower. "She's, unstable."

"What do ya mean, Doc?" Matt blurts out, before anyone else has a chance to. "She looks okay to me."

"Yeah, she's actually really sweet." Inez agrees, giving a chuckle. "Considering who she's descended from, and all."

"I'm afraid that's not what I mean by, unstable." He hands one of the papers to Inez. "Take a look at these test results from the physical I administered…I'm afraid you won't like what you see."

She reads through some of it while the others glance over her shoulders. With every line she reads, her brow furthers downward, expressing her confusion, then her state of shock. She gasps, putting a hand to her mouth, almost dropping the printout before Matt makes a grab for it, also reading over it, not exactly sure what he's looking at as it's mostly medical charts.

Inez looks up at the doctor. "Can those be right?"

He nods. "I'm afraid so. Though, I have no idea how it's at all possible."

It's silent as Jackie glances back and fourth between the two. "So…what exactly are we talking about?"

Marbles and Inez look over at her, as if noticing her presence for the first time. Inez clears her throat. "What Doctor Marbles means by unstable, is that, well…" She trails off, glancing over at Marbles for feedback.

He sighs. "It's her genetic makeup. I can't explain it as well as I'd like to, but…the best way to put it is by saying, that her DNA is, rather unsound." He frowns at the confused looks he receives. "It's unpredictable, erratic even. To put it simply-"

"She shouldn't even be alive right now." Matt interrupts in a quiet voice as he finishes reading. Even a teenager can get the gist of a medical printout. Especially with something like this.

Jackie looks over at him in alarm. "What!"

"Here." He hands the paper numbly over to her. "See for yourself."

Jackie is now silent as she concentrates on studying the notes. Within a minute her expression changes, resembling Inez's. She looks up at Doctor Marbles, horrified.

"See what I mean?" She hands him back his notes as he continues. "According to this, her organic structure is rather poor. But she appears to be in top condition. In fact, she's one of the healthiest children her age I've ever met. It must not be effecting her physically yet. But if my calculations are correct…and I hope they're not…she doesn't have much time left."

He glances solemnly over at the child again. The earthlings mimic his actions, observing the young girl glumly as she giggles down at Digit, who produces the smaller version of himself, Widget. Ivy then shakes the small bird's wing as introductions are made. Marbles looks back at the three teens in front of him.

"If she doesn't get the medical attention she needs, I'm afraid she will, go offline…indefinitely."

Before they can ask him the obvious, he blurts "unfortunately, there's nothing I can do for her. She needs a transfusion of the same DNA that was used to create her in the first place."

He reads over the paper in his hand again, having some doubts about his findings. "Her molecular structure is deteriorating from the inside. It's as if she was created in an extremely short amount of time. Perhaps too short, from what she's mentioned."

He adjusts his glasses. "If Hacker really was intending on manufacturing some sort of protégé, it appears he would have succeeded, if something hadn't have gone wrong in his calculations.

Matt shrugs. "Like what?"

"Well, let's say that Hacker actually was planning on artificially creating a child of his own. According to her vital signs, it appears as if she was born, premature. Almost as if she were supposed to come out of that pod at an older age than what she is…which does make some sense when you think about it."

Jackie raises an eyebrow skeptically. "So, what you're saying is…she wasn't supposed to be a little girl, but an adult?"

"That would be my guess, but something must have happened during her production, causing this supposed pod she was created in to cease what remaining fabrication was needed in order for her to reach the desired age Hacker wanted."

"Whoa, whoa, time out!" Matt crosses his hands. "This doesn't make any sense! If Hacker wanted to have someone to take over for him, why wouldn't he have a son? Why a daughter?"

"And what," Inez states, agitated, "is wrong with a woman taking over?"

Matt groans, feeling as though he would never understand which words to use and what not to use in front of girls. "Nothing. It's just that Hacker seems more like the type to want to name something after himself, like a Hacker Junior. Doesn't he? Tell me I'm wrong."

"No…you're right."

Everyone turns to see Ivy in the open doorway, gripping the side of her medical gown tightly as she focuses sullenly down at the floor. She sounds as if she's about to cry, but somehow manages to keep her voice steady as she speaks.

"He didn't want a girl…I'm an accident." She shakes her head. "He doesn't really care about me. He just wanted someone to help him take over the world. To hurt people."

Ivy brings her head up to meet the grim stare of Dr. Marbles. She sniffs. "I've seen you before…on the television. A long time ago." She brings her small hands together, picking at her fingernails. "You, were talking about my daddy…saying that, even though nobody had seen him, and it was a while since he'd done something wrong…" Her eyes glaze over slightly. "It, didn't mean Cyberspace shouldn't stop worrying about him.

"At first," she says, wiping away a stray tear. Her voice beginning to crack. "I didn't know…who you were talking about…but, today…him and Wicked, were fighting, and he said, something that…he…" Ivy trails off, weeping into both hands.

The two other girls in the room instinctively reach down to her. Inez, being the closest, scoops her up in her arms, cradling her as she cries into her shoulder. Jackie pats her on the back consolingly. The news about her condition only adding to their pity.

"You poor thing!" Jackie coos.

"It's okay, Ivy," Inez says gently. "You're safe here with us."

Before Matt can offer his own words of comfort, someone tugs at his shirt sleeve. He looks down to see Digit nodding away from the three girls, towards the doctor. He abides, going over to Marbles.

The doctor's voice is low when he speaks to the boy, his gaze fixed on the green child in Inez's care. "Something's not right here," he says. "I wasn't expecting this reaction from her."

"What do ya mean, Doc?" asks Digit, feeling sorry for the poor kid. He could relate to what she was feeling, having once thought of Hacker as a type of father. If it wasn't for the villain, he never would've been brought into existence. "Seems like a pretty normal reaction to me."

Matt nods. "I know I'd be upset if my dad wasn't who he said he was. You have to remember Doctor Marbles, she has no idea who Hacker really is. He's kept that from her." He glances over at Ivy for a moment before continuing. "How else is she supposed be reacting? She's just a kid, she's too young to fully understand what he does."

"That's not what I mean." Marbles shakes his head, looking between him and Digit, unable to hide the hint of rage at the mention of Motherboard's arch rival. "It doesn't make sense that she's totally oblivious to his intentions. From what she's told all of you, her existence has a far greater purpose than she realizes. How it is that Hacker has been so naive as to not calculate the outcome of her creation, baffles me."

He pauses, getting his emotions under control. "If he was so determined to create a younger version of himself, it doesn't explain how she couldn't possibly know anything about what lay in her future…what he plans to do with her."

"It's like the kid said," Digit shrugs. "He wasn't expecting a girl. He wanted a boy. Probably a lot older than just five."

Matt agrees. "Didn't you say something about her genetic structure being unstable? Maybe that's why he never told her anything. He probably knows she's defective. Um, in a manner of speaking." He shifts about, not comfortable with his own choice of words. "Anyway, that makes more sense doesn't it? I mean, why would he bother sharing any of his plans with her if she, doesn't have much longer."

The doctor looks on at them for a moment, thinking. Since the first day he'd brought Hacker on line, he'd always known that there was something about the cyborg that never sat quite right with him. True, Hacker had been his own creation, given life for the sole purpose of assisting his efforts in bettering the cybernetic world around them, aiding Motherboard in any way they could.

It was Doctor Marbles who had failed to fully assess the consequences of his actions. So many times he'd had reason to be wary of Hacker's behavior, occasionally letting slip the façade he'd managed to fool them all with since the day he'd been activated. But despite the gnawing at his conscience to throw judgment where it had definitely been needed most…for some bizarre reason, he could never bring himself to do it.

To this very day, he regrets that decision. And has been doing anything, and _everything_, in his power to somehow make amends for it.

"I suppose. But still…" He glances back at Ivy. "I don't like this. Not one bit. I've dealt with Hacker too long to not know that anything of his creation is nothing more than an abomination."

Digit clears his throat loudly.

Dr. Marble gives him a weak smile. "Present company excluded, of course." His eyes are again on Matt, almost glaring. "She may seem innocent enough, Matthew. But keep in mind who she is; Hacker's daughter. If that's not a red flag I don't know what is."

The red-head nods once, but a bit reluctantly. "Good point."

"I'm not saying she's as bad as him , but we should pay close attention to her nonetheless." He shakes his head, rubbing the back of his neck. "One thing's for sure…she will most definitely be trouble to someone at some point. Whether it's for any of us, or The Hacker, is too soon to tell."

* * *

"Ivy?" Wicked calls, more anxious this time. She'd been searching the Grim Wreaker for a good twenty minutes, turning up no sign of the young girl. She was actually glad for the delay in locating her, giving her a chance to think about what all it was she was going to tell her. Despite Hacker's request for her to reveal everything about him.

If there was one thing she'd ever learned throughout their on/off relationship, it was knowing when the cyborg was attempting to cover up his true feelings towards something…or someone. His affection for her in particular was no exception.

She'd often considered what he would be like if he learned to open up a little on the issue. She'd hoped Ivy would eventually make him realize that. And, up until a few moments ago, it appeared to be a very good possibility. But now, things weren't looking as bright as they had before-

"Wicked! WICKED!"

"Wuh?" She spun around, nearly being run over by Hacker. His hands are suddenly grasping either side of her. "Hacker, why-"

"Where is she?" He almost shouts, unable to hide the panic in his voice.

Wicked stares, eyes wide. "Well, I don't know, I haven't found her yet. But I'm sure she's-"

"We need to find her! Now!" He releases his hold on her, looking frantically in all directions. "Ivy, where are you?"

"Hacker what is wrong with you? I know this a big deal to you, but aren't you overreacting just a little?" Upon seeing the panic in his eyes, the answer is clear.

"Wicked," he breaths heavily, grasping her by the arms again, but not as forceful this time, more consoling. "Ivy is in terrible danger. And if I don't find her and take the right precautions, she could… Wicked she'll…" He stops himself, looking down at the metallic tiling of the Grim Wreaker.

She grasps his hands. "What? Hacker, what's going to happen to Ivy?" He shakes his head, still panting. This reaction was enough to tell her that something much more serious was going on than Ivy simply being mad at him. "Hacker?"

When he brings his head up, Wicked's heart immediately goes out him, seeing the tears he desperately tries to hide from her. "Is something wrong with Ivy?" she asks, not liking his solemn expression. And, after a deep breath, he begins to explain. Her eyes fill with terror the more she hears about the fate soon to befall his innocent daughter.

"Oh my god." She places a hand over her mouth. "But…what can you do to help her? Please, tell me you know you can help that poor girl!"

He stares at her for a moment, finally speaking quietly. "There, might be something I can do." He pauses, his tone now a whisper. "Or, rather, what _we_ can do." He swallows, trying to find the right words. "I…I know you and I haven't been the, best of acquaintances in the past, but…trust me when I tell you that, without your help…Ivy is as good as…" He stops, grasping her a little tighter to get a hold of himself. He finally looks her in the eye again. "I need you, Wicked…more than you'll ever know."

She cocks her head to the side. His sudden burst of affection was definitely unexpected, not to mention a bit out of place. But the sincerity in his eyes told her that his abnormal behavior was for a very good reason. Otherwise he wouldn't sound this desperate for help.

"Me? What can I-"

"I can't rightly explain it to you. Not now. All that matters is Ivy." He glances down the hall. "We'll split up. She's got to be around-"

"BOSS!"

The two adults turn around in time to see two frantic robots running up, screeching to a halt at their employer's feet. Almost immediately, Wicked notices their panicked expressions. Something was horribly wrong.

"Boys," Hacker barks. "Listen very carefully, I need you to find Ivy, it's-"

"Earth kids! Here!" Buzz pants, pointing back behind him. "They, got away!"

Wicked sees the stoned expression on Hacker's face. He must've known what was coming, but wasn't ready to hear it.

"Motherboard, here?" He states, somewhat to himself. "I haven't left the Northern Frontier in months, why would she send-"

"Hacker they took her!" Delete screamed, unable to help himself. "The kids took Ivy!"

Wicked gasps. Hacker's heart skips a beat. "What? When?"

"Just a few minutes ago!" explained Buzz. "We tried to stop 'em, but they'd let her in their cyber coupe and flown off. We came back here as fast as we could!"

"Let her in?" Wicked asks. "But, why would she go with them-"

Buzz shakes his head heatedly. "I don't know! But she did! Poor kid hardly put up a fight!"

Delete tugs on Hacker's sleeve. "What're we gonna do, Boss?" He stops, seeing the cyborg's cold stare into the distance, his brow furrowed. "Boss?"

Wicked sees it, too, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hacker, what is it?"

He's silent for a moment before responding quietly. "She, really does hate me. Doesn't she?"

"Wuh?" Both robots exclaim, only to be silenced by a glare from Wicked.

Her attention is on him again, voice cracking. "Hacker you don't know that. She loves you. It's like you said, you're her father. No one could care for her the way you do-"

He shakes his head slowly, continuing to look forward. He couldn't believe it. The thought that Ivy, his own flesh and blood, was so willing to get away from him that she had left with his greatest rivals, it was almost too heart-wrenching to be true. But an explanation would have to wait. For now there was something much more life threatening to deal with.

"Alright," says Hacker, taking in a quick breath, attempting to get his bearings. "The important thing right now is that we get Ivy back home, by any means."

"But Boss," Delete began. "They're probably headed to Control Central! We've never been able to get in there without-"

"I don't care!" Hacker bellows, the metallic walls vibrating. The sound causing even Wicked to cringe, while the two henchmen scurry behind her for safety. "I won't stand by and watch her die in the hands of my worst enemy! I can't let that happen! I WON'T!" His eyes are on her again, almost pleading. "Wicked, come with me. If I hurry, I can begin developing a treatment for her before we reach them." He offers his hand. "But not without you."

She nods once. "Of course," she says, accepting his gesture. "Whatever I can do to help."

With Hacker leading, they head in the direction of his lab, both moving with a purpose. His voice echoes back at the two confused robots. "Prepare the Wreaker for take off, I'll be in the control room shortly!"

Buzz and Delete are silent, glancing at each other with wide eyes. Without a word, they make their way to the front of the ship. Something told them that now wasn't the best time to question their employer's actions.

Ivy was in trouble. For now, that was all they needed.

To Be Continued…

* * *

Well, what'd ya think of Chapter 8? Pretty messed up for a kid so young, huh?

But who'll come up with a cure first; Hacker or Dr. Marbles?

And will she be saved in time…?

Who knows…but probably…maybe…oh, the anticipation is KILLING me!


	9. Strong Enough

Note: Cyberchase doesn't belong to me, so once again, I need to inform you of how much it sucks that it doesn't. Because if it did, Ivy would really exist on the show, just to make ruling the Cyber Universe more frustrating for Hacker!

I know, I know! I'm a jerk! Things have been pretty busy around here, but I finally got around to adding something to this story. It's coming along…slowly, buts it'll get there. As long as every now and then someone reviews and lets me know that readers haven't yet given up on this fic. I have an Epilogue written up, the problem is I don't have an ending yet.

I hate it when I skip ahead like that! *slaps hand* That's a bad writer! Bad, bad writer!

Anyway, hope ya like this chapter. Let me know what ya think!

* * *

**My One and Only: A Cyberspace Story**

**By LaurenShort-DisneyFan **

**Chapter 9: Strong Enough**

"So, how's it coming?" Wicked asked, peering over his shoulder.

Hacker doesn't respond, still going over the new equations on the white board in front of him. He continues to murmur inaudibly to himself, the scientific lingo going straight over the witch's head.

Wicked paces back and forth, ringing her hands together impatiently. She hated not knowing exactly what was going on. She'd managed to catch the gist of it, and that was enough. But the thought of little Ivy on the verge of death was almost too heart-wrenching to bear.

The only thing she was entirely sure of was that Hacker's daughter was running out of time.

She stops pacing. "Have you found anything?"

Hacker says nothing at first, only pausing in his writing to take a step back to see it all clearly, scanning the board frantically, trying to piece everything together. She watches his expression change the longer he stares at the equations. It was difficult to see through the mixture of emotions on his face, but whatever he was feeling, it was far from relieved. After a moment, he closes his eyes, bowing his head.

"Well?" she asks quietly.

He rubs at the pressure points between his eyes, shaking his head. "As Inez would say…" He looks back up at the board glumly. "This is not good…this is not good at all."

"Huh?" Wicked raises her brow.

Hacker moves over to his computer, taking a seat at the console. "I'm afraid, it's a little more complicated than I feared," he says absently, looking through the pages of notes in front of him.

"Why do you say that?" She moves up behind him again, laying a hand on his broad shoulder. When he briefly glances over at the gesture, she almost pulls away. But when he continues, she decides against it.

"Well," he sighs, scratching the back of his head. "The good news is, there's most definitely a way to cure her. It's merely a matter of completing her DNA structure. Because she came out of the machine much earlier than anticipated…almost six days too early to be precise…her genetic makeup simply needs an additional contribution from the original donor; i.e. me."

"Okay." Wicked responds, trying to follow along. "So, what can you do, exactly?"

At this, Hacker turns to look up at her, but not before a split second glance at her hand again. "She needs an injection…it won't take long to figure out the precise dosage she'll need…but…" He cuts off, studying the tiling below his chair.

She grips his shoulder a little tighter. "But what?"

He's quiet for a moment before answering, choosing his words carefully. "It's a bit, hard to explain…but the best way to put it is, that, if I alone were to administer the entire amount she needs to stay online…" He clears his throat casually. "There's a rather large possibility that, I won't…uh, survive."

Wicked almost takes a step back out of shock. "You mean you could, die from this?" She shakes her head. "There has to be another way! It's too risky-"

"There is," he interrupts. "Though it would still require a substantial amount of energy from myself." His eyes lock with hers, attempting to hide his panic. "I'm afraid, my dear, this is where you come in…I, can't do this alone…and I feel I have no right to ask you for your help like this but-"

"I'll do it." She gives him a weak smile. "Just tell me what I need to do."

Hacker couldn't help but grin at the woman standing next to him. The two of them had been through a lot in the past…even if it was just attempting to concur Cyberspace together. Naturally, as always, their plans for domination failed again and again, only leaving them to despise one another, thinking that one of them would've been successful had the other not even been near them to begin with. And yet, despite their constant feuding…he found it nearly impossible to stay away from her.

Something always brought the two villains together…as if fate had a plan of its own in store for them. He just wished it would be on good terms for once.

He nods, grasping her hand briefly. "Thank you, Wicked." He then turns back to his work. There was no more time to waste. "Now then…according to my calculations, it's no longer safe for me alone to be the primary donor…not only because of the amount that she needs, but because I'm…well, I'm a…" He shrugs at her. "You know."

"No, I don't," she says. "What're you trying to say?"

He clears his throat again, this time more awkwardly. "Well, originally she was supposed to be male…but because her gender was altered, that could be the main reason for her system being unstable…if she had turned out to be a boy, I might've been able to handle it alone…maybe."

Wicked thinks on this for a moment before answering slowly. "So…because you're a man, and she's a girl…you're saying, that you can only donate a certain amount from your person…" She pauses, her eyes widening with realization. "You need a female donor."

"Precisely!" he proclaims, standing to face her. "But don't worry. It won't effect you the same way it will me…You'll be alright."

She eyes him curiously, seeing what resembled fear in his tired features. "What about you? If she needs just as much energy from me, then, won't it be the same for both of us?" When he doesn't say anything, her questioning look becomes frightened. "Hacker…What're you not telling me?"

The green cyborg looks down at her, biting his bottom lip. She may as well find out now, while he was still in good health. He takes a deep breath. "Wicked…Something's been happening to me…before Ivy came along. I'm not sure, but, it may have to do with my primary energy core."

He pauses, seeing her confusion. This required more explanation. "Alright," he sighs. "Long ago when I was first brought online by Dr. Marbles, I was equipped with an eternal power supply…like, uh, life-long battery," he adds, glad to see her nod in understanding before he continues. "That was before I decided to work against him and Motherboard. Once they'd found out I was no longer siding with The Good Guys, I was banished…here." He gazes out past her. "But not before I was stripped of that energy…without it, I've been unable to function at maximum capacity.

"It hadn't been a real problem, until just recently." He glances back at her sadly. "I'm getting old, Wicked…there's no doubt about that…but it's only because of that missing power source…it's the whole reason I've searched the darkest corners of Cyberspace; I've been attempting to replace it." He frowns. "And as you know, that hasn't been going very well."

She shakes her head. "No, it hasn't."

He shrugs. "Well, that's beside the point…the real issue here is Ivy. And with me being unable to use my full strength…" He sighs again. "There's not much I can do for her without doing real damage to myself. Now, I'm not saying that I wouldn't be willing to give up-"

She'd placed a hand on his mouth as she speaks calmly. "Hacker…we've already been over this. You don't have to do this alone. Remember?" She forces a smile for him. "Just, do what you can."

Hacker had to return the expression. It never ceased to amaze him how level-headed The Wicked Witch could be at times. He was glad that at least one of them was. But then again, she'd always managed to surprise him with her personality; one day she was bent on world domination while at his side…the next she was aiding Motherboard and the Earth kids in finding a way to either help cure her, or to stop The Hacker himself. He could almost swear that she had multiple personalities beneath that feminine exterior. It drove him crazy…in more ways than one.

"Um, Hacker?"

"Hmm?"

"You should, probably get to work…we'll be at Control Central soon."

Hacker shakes his green head, just now realizing he'd been staring at her a little too intensely. "Uh, yes. Of course…I'll just, um…" He clears his throat, not comfortable with the sudden flushed feeling of blood rushing up into his face. "Be over here…"

He quickly resumes his work, scribbling random things down on the white board in order to keep his mind on something else, but not before noticing that she'd also been turning a bit crimson.

* * *

"Sure ya don't want help with that? Cuz if yer tired I can takeover."

"No, I feel fine," replied the small girl. "Really!"

Ivy had just finished redressing in her regular clothes, now struggling with her shoe laces while Digit sat beside her, worry written all over his beak. He'd offered to stay with her in the examination room while the others went to the main control room to explain the situation to Motherboard, hoping she would have a solution. Though there was much concern for the child's health, it was decided that nothing be revealed to the girl herself just yet, not with her current emotional state. As much as he wanted to say something, he continued to force himself not let on that anything was wrong…unfortunately that didn't stop him from becoming extremely overprotective of her.

Despite her being the daughter of his greatest enemy, he still felt a type of bond with her, seeing as how they were both created by the same cyborg. He and the others had only been partially aware of Ivy's true purpose, but after discovering that Hacker's original plans had called for an adult son, there wasn't a shred of doubt in the cy-bird's mind that the evil green tyrant saw her as nothing but another failed attempt at dominating the cyber universe.

All the more reason to be concerned. He knew what it was like to be neglected, to have no one care about you. It was a feeling he hated to see anyone go through. Little Ivy was no exception.

He began to fidget with his wings. "Well, as long you feel up to it," he says, not taking his eyes off of her.

Ivy doesn't say anything, focusing all her concentration on pulling the white laces into a knot, still having to do the other foot. Her tongue sticks out the corner of her mouth, convinced she was making the task more difficult than it probably needed to be. Unfortunately, she hadn't made much progress, having repeated it a number of times, leaving a wadded up mess of shoelace instead the generic bow. She frowns, blowing at a strand of hair in her face.

"Delete made it look too easy," she grumbles, attempting to untie her mistake. "This is hard!"

Digit's eyes widen at this, forgetting about his anxiety for a moment. "Hang on. Delete taught you to tie yer shoes?"

She nods without looking over at him. "Sorta. I'm still learning."

"Delete," he states. "Tall metal guy…kind of a big nose, and a couple of antennae on his head? That Delete?"

"Uh huh."

He stares, scratching his head. "Wow…I didn't know he could tie his own shoes. I always thought Buzz did it for him."

Ivy giggles, attempting to tie the laces again. "That's what Dee Dee says! So he finally taught himself how. Only cuz Buzz got tired of doing it for him." She loops the ends slowly this time, proving to be more successful. "I've almost got the hang of it…he says I'm doin' real good." She beams at the sight of the perfect bow she'd managed on her right shoe. She throws her hands up. "Yea! I finally did it! See?" Ivy points at her shoe, beaming at Digit. "All by myself!"

"Nice job, Ivy," Digit said encouragingly, actually impressed. "Considering how old you are, that makes you a pretty fast learner."

"Mm-hmm!" She states proudly, reaching down to start on the other foot. "That's what Wicked said. She says I'm so smart cuz I got it from my Daddy, and that he's -" She stops short, the smile leaving her face.

Digit watches her curiously. "Hey…you okay, Kid?" he asked, though it wasn't hard to figure out what was wrong.

Ivy now stares at her shoes glumly, tying her second knot much slower this time. The sudden mention of Hacker hadn't been intentional. For a moment, she'd forgotten why she was there; to get away from him. She was still having a hard time believing everything her new friends had told her about the man she called her father. And yet, a part of her new that every bit of it was true. She could just feel it…probably because of her genetic connection with him. Doctor Marbles had explained to her that it wouldn't be too surprising if she'd inherited a few of his traits, including a bit of his personality.

But she wished he hadn't told her…it only made her more afraid of him.

She continues pulling on the laces, though isn't really attempting a bow anytime soon. "I'm just…not really used to hating him yet," came her soft reply. "I know I'm 'spose to, but…I don't feel right if I do…I feel, bad…Like it's wrong to, cuz he's my Daddy…" She looks to him sadly. "Is that dumb?"

Digit shakes his head. "Of course not. I mean, technically he is yer Dad, so it's not like you can stop caring about him just like that! And, the others don't expect ya too, either." He pauses, seeing her still solemn expression. He sighs, rubbing the back of his feathered neck, considering something. After a moment he finally says in a low tone, "Kid…can you keep a secret?"

Ivy nods in response. "I guess so."

Digit glances around the empty room cautiously before getting back to her, still speaking quietly. "Back when I still worked for Hacker, and he still helped the Doc take care of Motherboard…I used to feel the same way you do right now."

She raises an eyebrow. "Whatta ya mean?"

He shrugs. "Well, because, he built me. I was his first creation. I know it sounds a little weird, but, I sorta thought of him as, some kinda father." He places a comforting wing on her shoulder. "When I found out that he'd wanted to become a bad guy, I didn't know what to do! I mean, he made me, so I thought that meant that I had to be just like him…even though I didn't wanna be."

"What did you do, Digit?" she asked, afraid for what came next.

"Well…I stayed with him for a while…I even tried to convince him to switch sides again, to be a good guy, but…" He shook his head. "It was no use. It's just how he is…and when I couldn't get him to change his ways, I got away…came to Motherboard. She and the Doc took me in and I've been by their side ever since…and I couldn't be happier."

She stares at him for a moment before asking, "So…when you left, that was the right thing to do? Didn't you miss him?"

"Err, not really," he said uneasily. "To be honest, he's not the nicest guy in the world. He treated me pretty bad. But after I came to live here, I made a lot of friends, and it gave me a much better life."

"But…doesn't he miss you?"

Digit is thrown off by this, and tries not to laugh. "Uh, well, I doubt it. I really do. I mean, I know it's tough to hear and all, but, Hacker's not really known as the sensitive type…he never was very fond of getting too attached to anyone. He always used to say that it was a weakness to care about someone else more than yourself." He shakes his head. "But that's not true. If anything, it makes you a better person."

She doesn't say anything, finishing up the bow on her other shoe. This time she doesn't celebrate, only sniffing sadly. "I miss him."

Digit sighs, still comforting her shoulder. "Look…I know this isn't easy…but, it will be…and whether you feel right about all this now or not, there'll come a day when, you'll know what to do." He pauses, lowering his voice. "I hate to say it, but it doesn't matter what we tell ya about all this…what really matters is what _you_ think about him…he is yer Dad after all."

Ivy wipes at her eyes. "But…it doesn't matter what I think, cuz he doesn't want me, 'member?" She sniffs again, unable to hold back a tear. "He wants a boy…not me. I'm nothing like him…I-I don't know what to do…Where am I, g-gonna go?" She began to weep softly in her hands. "I'm scared, D-Digit."

Digit continues to comfort her while she cries, gritting his teeth in anger. He'd always known that The Hacker was a selfish individual, but this was taking it too far. This girl was his own flesh and blood, and for him to be willing to cast her aside as though she were just another failed attempt at ruling Cyberspace was beyond evil. What made things more horrible was the news of her condition. Chances were, Hacker didn't even know yet. But if he did, it wouldn't surprise the cy-bird in the least if the green borg had already been willing to just let things take its course, rather than find a solution to help save her.

He couldn't wait for an opportunity to arrive where he could give his creator a piece of his mind. For now, though, Ivy's survival was much more important than his long term grudge towards the tyrant. He just hoped Doctor Marbles would be able to shed some light on all of this…and soon.

* * *

"This is indeed most troubling news."

The Cybersquad and Dr. Marbles look up at Motherboard expectantly, hoping she would have some idea as to what should be done about the girl now residing in the medical bay, especially after knowing what was soon to befall her. But upon hearing the tone in her computerized voice, they're even more at a loss.

"What should we do, Motherboard?" Inez asked. "She's just a little girl."

Matt agrees. "Yeah. We can't just let this happen to her. There's gotta something we can do."

Motherboard's image nods in response. "Agreed. Doctor Marbles, is there anything that can be done for young Ivy?"

"Well, yes," he responds uneasily, adjusting his glasses while reading over his notes. "As I've mentioned, her genetic structure is incomplete. We'll need to find a way to add onto it, but without doing further damage to her system."

"Great," Jackie said hopefully. "Just tell us what you need, and we're on it!" At this, Matt and Inez nod, going to stand next to her. "How can we help, Doc?"

He shakes his head. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. Unfortunately there isn't a reliable energy source that is in existence that we can use to sustain her for very long."

"But, what about that electro-root you tried to use a while back to help Motherboard?" asked Matt.

"Hey, yeah!" Inez adds. "And, the stones on Pompadoria? The ones Hacker tried to take last month. Wouldn't those work?"

"True," Doctor Marbles responds. "There are different forms of energy out in Cyberspace, but none that are suited for someone of this age, not to mention for this magnitude." He shuffles through the papers again, still rereading them. "Those are only temporary solutions that would require a generous amount to even be remotely affective." He looks to each of the teens gravely. "Remember; she requires power extracted from the original donor." He pauses, now looking to Motherboard. "The only person whom she shares a genetic connection with…I'm afraid you all know what that means."

It's silent within the group as the obvious suddenly becomes clear. Jackie is the first to speak, her voice small as she asks the question on all their minds. "You mean, there's no way you can help her, without _him _being involved?"

Marbles only nods once. "Correct…Without Hacker's consent, I'm afraid there's nothing we can do. Perhaps, if I had more time I could think of something, but…" He stops, eyes cast downward, his notes feeling useless in his hands. "I never like to admit defeat, especially if it means relying on The Hacker for help." He gazes up at the larger monitor gravely. "But I don't see any other alternatives."

Everyone exchanges glances of uneasiness before looking to Motherboard again. She's silent for sometime, her digital eyes closed while she considers a course of action. Finally, her image omit's a sigh. This wasn't going to be an easy decision, but it had to be made. They were running out of time, as well as options.

"Despite what Ivy's creation may have been intended for, she is still a citizen of Cyberspace." She pauses, fighting to speak through the usual static. "She is also an innocent child…so she will be treated as such, regardless of who her creator is." She gestures down to the doctor. "I strongly suggest that you do everything in your power to ensure she stays online."

"But, Motherboard," began Marbles, almost protesting. "Without Hacker's cooperation, there's nothing I can do to sustain her, let alone restored to maximum health-"

"I understand Dr. Marbles," she says gently. "However, due to his actions, as well as his intentions in the past, I am strongly reluctant to enlist Hacker's help in the matter. Regardless of what his feelings towards the girl may be, there is no guarantee that this was not all a part of his original plans to begin with."

Jackie exchanges looks of confusion with the other Earth kids before addressing this. "What're you saying, Mother B?"

Motherboard turns her attention to the three teenagers once again, her gaze remorseful but serious. "Try to keep in mind what Hacker has attempted in order to gain control of the cyber universe. There isn't a doubt in my mainframe that…although rather difficult to consider anyone to be capable of such a thing…it would've been The Hacker's objective that we show concern for her…offer her help and aid in any way that we can…knowing that the only way to truly save her is if we request his assistance."

Seeing their mortified stares, she quickly adds, "I'm not saying this is the case…just that there will always be reasons to doubt Hacker…Never forget that."

Though it's difficult to believe what she says is true, they all nod to each other in agreement. Despite not liking her statement, the cybernetic ruler made a very good point; Hacker was infamous for his deception and treachery throughout Cyberspace, especially to the squad personally. But out of all the citizens to be weary of him, Motherboard and Doctor Marbles definitely took the cake…and it never ceased to amaze them how well she hid her hatred for the cyborg, unlike the good doctor, who had no problems voicing his opinions on The Hacker.

After a moment, Marbles sighs, adjusting his specs again. "I'll, see what I can do. To be honest, I'd prefer to steer clear of whatever 'help' Hacker could offer us, anyhow." He speaks to the Cybersquad. "I'm going to really need your help with this."

Matt nods. "Sure. Like Jacks said, just tell us what you need and we're on it."

Inez adds, "anything we can do to help poor Ivy."

"Good. The first thing I'll need you to do is go to Pompadoria and retrieve some of the stones residing in the streams throughout the site. As many as you can carry. In the meantime I'll work on a way to convert their energy into a more stable form that, hopefully, her body will accept as a substitute."

"Got it!" Jackie says. "Should we get Digit? We could use another set of hands. Er, wings. Whatever."

Marbles shakes his head. "Not this time, Cybermates. I'll need Digit here with me. Someone needs to keep a close watch on Ivy, just in case…as well as preoccupy her so she doesn't catch on to her condition…if she hasn't already, that is." His tone then becomes very serious. "Although time is of the utmost importance, you still need to keep in mind that Hacker may be watching us. So keep a close eye out for him…there's no telling what tricks he could have up his sleeve now…especially with Ivy in our custody."

* * *

Once they're briefed on what exactly needs to be done upon arriving in Pompadoria, Matt, Jackie and Inez make their way through Control Central towards the cyber coupe. It's quiet between them until Jackie is the first to speak, her tone somewhat agitated.

"Okay, so is it just me, or is something not right about all this?" she asked, keeping her voice low.

Matt raises an eyebrow at her. "Like how? Just seems like Hacker being Hacker. The guy's a mega-creep. But what else is new?"

"Jacks is right, Matt," Inez agrees. "Even for Hacker this all seems pretty drastic…I mean, I know he's put someone's life on the line before, but this?" She shakes her head. "This is just plain wrong! She's his own flesh and blood!"

"And you heard what Ivy said," Jackie points out. "She was calling him her 'Daddy'. I don't think even Hacker could go through with a plan like this after knowing his own creation thinks of him as a father!"

Matt frowns. "Ya know, that does make a bit of sense. Still…you heard Motherboard; with Hacker we can never be too careful. Even if this _wasn't _part of his plan, we can't just expect him to offer any help."

"Normally yes," Inez agrees. "But Ivy isn't like his other plans. She's…well, innocent. She didn't know anything about him until she'd met us."

"Yeah, and the only way she even found out was because she'd overheard Hacker talking about who he is and what he does." Jackie pauses, looking down at her feet as they continue walking, staring intently.

Matt sees this. "What's up, Jacks?"

Jackie hesitates, fidgeting with her bracelet. "Well…why didn't Hacker ever tell her any of that stuff? Think about it; who loves to gloat about their reputation more than him?"

"I know," Inez adds. "That's been bothering me, too! With as conceded as Hacker is, its hard to believe that he'd miss out on a chance to do just that. Especially to his own daughter!"

Matt stops walking. "Wait a second!" he projects, causing the two girls to jump and look on at him in alarm, seeing a questioning stare. "You guys don't think that's why Hacker left to her in the dark about who he is, do you? That he really does...care, about her?" He almost cringes. "Ya know, like, how our parents care about us?"

The three teens blink at one another for a moment, not sure how to approach this. Hacker's emotions hadn't always been a part of the equation when they'd dealt with him in the past. It was an entirely new experience that none of them truly knew how to address. Finally, Inez decides to take a crack at it.

"It, It's possible. I guess," she began slowly, looking to Jackie. "I mean, it's like you said; if she was referring to him as Daddy, then how could he not develop feelings for her…or whatever it's called when Hacker cares about something." She then shrugs. "Um, right?"

Jackie nods. "Yeah. And if that's true…and, he really does care about her-"

"Then," Matt interrupts. "Maybe there's a chance Hacker would actually wanna help…he might even be trying to come up with a cure, too."

"Or he already has one." Inez adds.

They exchange looks of uncertainty at first, wishing this would've come up in front of the Doc and Motherboard. With this now in mind, it seemed fruitless, not to mention a waste of time, to go after a something that wasn't even guaranteed to work, just a way to bide time until an actual solution was found. But judging from what Marbles had told them earlier, the cynical cyborg was Ivy's only hope at survival.

Their expressions eventually turn more considerate the longer they think about this. A choice had now presented itself to them, giving them an alternative. Whether it was the right one or not, was far from being clear.

"So…what's it gonna be, girls?" Matt breaks the silence, looking off to the side and spotting the dormant cyber coupe ready to depart with them aboard. "Pompadoria…or The Northern Frontier...?"

It doesn't take the Cyber Squad long to reach a decision, soon leaving Control Central behind, departing inside the small craft with Matt behind the wheel. Despite Doctor Marbles' warning to not do so, he engages the hyper accelerator. It was another risk the group had to take. A child's life depended on it.

* * *

To Be Continued…

Dang, things are getting intense, huh? So what do ya think? Did the gang make the right choice? Where are they headed? Will they get back in time before Ivy actually starts to get sick? How many more questions am I going to ask?

Find next time, and stay tuned…


	10. So Many Emotions, So Little Time

**Note: None of the characters associated with Cyberchase belong to me, except for Ivy, of course. She's 100% original, baby!**

Yeah yeah, I know, I haven't updated in a while. So sue me! Now stop judging me and read! Anyway, the majority of this chapter involves Hacker and Wicked so don't hate me too much.

Oh and one more thing…enjoy!

* * *

**My One and Only: A Cyberspace Story**

**By LaurenShort-DisneyFan **

**Chapter 10: So Many Emotions, So Little Time**

"Can't this miserable crate go any faster!"

Wicked had been pacing back and forth, attempting to keep her anxiety in check. But every now and then she would slip, once again spinning around to snap at those piloting the Grim Wreaker, receiving the same disgruntled response from either Buzz or Delete;

"We're sorry! We're doin' what we can, just don't turn us into slugs again!"

The witch, though never satisfied with the answer, merely gave another agitated huff before resuming her pacing, trying desperately to take her mind off of the situation, only to fail miserably. She'd never noticed how long of a journey it was from the Northern Frontier to Control Central, especially when taking the Grim Wreaker. It may have just been her nerves getting to her, causing her to lose patience faster than usual.

The two dimwitted robots had been doing their best, she had to admit. With Hacker locking himself up in his lab to come up with a solution for Ivy, piloting the large craft was much more difficult for someone as short they were. She hadn't meant to threaten them with magic, but it was the only way she knew how to cope with the pressure of it all. Mentally, she beat her self up for not knowing some sort of speed spell that would get them to Motherboard and the others much faster. According to Hacker, Ivy didn't have much time.

This thought caused her heart to ache. It was difficult for her to accept, but her and the child had developed a strong connection. What started out as going out of her way to do Hacker a favor had turned into something she looked forward to every moment of the day. She'd never felt so strongly about anyone before, especially a child, seeing as how she hated children with a passion. But Ivy was different. From the moment she laid eyes on the small green girl, she immediately knew she could only be Hacker's daughter.

And yet, as time went on, there were more and more differences between Ivy and her father; her smile, her giggle, her warm-hearted nature. All these traits had come from thin air. Not once had she seen any of these in the cyborg's own personality. She was still baffled at how someone so black-hearted and maniacal could produce something so sweet and innocent.

It was a hard pill to swallow, but Ivy was a perfect little angel that could win over anyone. This including two villains such as herself and The Hacker. The bond that she'd developed with her was probably about as close as any mother and daughter could ever be…and as strange as it sounds, Ivy's birth had rekindled another bond. One she'd almost given up on entirely.

She'd managed to stop pacing, instead approaching Buzz and Delete yet again, but this time starring up at the display screens, speaking with as much calm as she could muster.

"How much longer is this going to take?"

Buzz wriggles around the large piloting chair to look over at her, keeping his stubby hand on what she could only guess was some sort of steering mechanism. "Not sure," he replied. "But it usually takes 'bout, uh…" He pauses, counting on his other hand with far too much concentration for something so simple. "A couple hours, so not much longer."

She sighs. "Just…keep doing what you can, alright?" He answers with a nod before getting back to the many controls as she shakes her head, rubbing at her eyes, unable to recall ever feeling this miserable.

"Um, Miss Wicked?"

She brings her head up at hearing Delete's voice. "What?" she asks groggily.

The taller robot doesn't answer right away, looking away from his job monitoring their speed to study the tiles on the floor. "Is…is Ivy gonna be alright?" He brings his head up, eyes filled with concern. "I mean, he can help her…can't he?" Delete goes quiet as he stares up at her. Buzz in the meantime had turned slightly to do the same, though he's less direct than his brother.

Wicked blinks. After a moment, she forces a smile for them. "She's going to be fine." She gestures to the screens. "The faster we get there, the faster Hacker can do what he needs to."

The two exchanged glances before getting back to the open void of cyberspace that lay before them. Once their again concentrating on getting to Central Control, Wicked turns and begins walking out of the room, moving through the dimly lit hallway in hopes of clearing her head.

She didn't have the heart to tell them that, although their boss had indeed found a cure for the girl, there was no guarantee that they'd get to her in time. It would only stress them out more if they were to learn this, just making the journey even more difficult for them. The last thing she wanted for them was to feel pressured, especially when they barely had control over the Grim Wreaker enough as it is.

Wicked could see a light further down the hall, coming out of an all too familiar room. Rather than go right in, she stops at the door, leaning forward to get a glimpse, hearing only silence coming from the usually clean laboratory.

Since discovering Ivy's condition, Hacker had apparently gone through every piece of information that he'd ever written down, as papers were now strewn about on the floor, the many workbenches, and even the large computer consol were all cluttered with various notes and folders. As if that wasn't enough of a mess, there were also numerous pieces of machinery and other random parts thrown into the mix.

Despite the clutter, it wasn't too difficult to locate the large green cyborg, seeing him hunched over one of his workbenches, piecing something together from what looked like random electronics and medical equipment he'd found around him. He's silent as he appears to focus all of his concentration and energy on the delicate task before him, failing to notice someone standing at the open door off to the side, just out of his line of sight.

Wicked is unable to hide her amazement at his appearance. She couldn't recall ever seeing him like this; so focused and dedicated. Although his face is set in stone, his eyes tell a different story. Filled with so much sadness and heartbreak, that it almost causes her to tear up the longer she stares at him.

As emotions begin to well up within her, she feels a sudden need to go to his side. But she knew that was her heart doing the talking. Her head, which she usually listened to when it came to dealing with The Hacker, was telling her that he needed his space in order to work. Though it pained her slightly to think this, she knew it was true.

Wicked slowly backs away from the doorway, but not before taking another long look at Ivy's father, willing to go above and beyond to save his little girl. She couldn't help but give a weak smile.

She quickly wipes away the involuntary tear that rolls down her cheek before making her way back to the main control room, deciding to see if Buzz and Delete were making any progress.

And if they'd need further "motivation".

* * *

"There…that should do it."

Hacker sighed, setting down the screwdriver he'd been using on the workbench in front of him. He uses the back of his hand to wipe away the sweat forming above his brow, shaking his head glumly, wishing he was more confident about his latest creation.

It hadn't taken Hacker long to assemble a simple way of transferring energy from one cyber being to another. Though it took a lot less time than usual to concoct an invention, he feels there's nothing to celebrate as he frowns at the makeshift device; it resembled a pair of metal handcuffs, with long cylinder-like manacles instead of the usual metal rings. Rather than a few links of chain binding them to one another, there's a long piece of tubing no more than a foot in length protruding from the sides.

It's purpose was simple enough; extracting a substantial amount of energy from one person in a very short amount of time, almost immediately transferring it through the tube and into the other wristband, depositing power into the opposing wearer's system.

He picks it up again, studying its design very closely, not wanting to miss anything. After a moment, he sets it back down, rubbing at his tired eyes before reaching over to his right, his fingers wrapping around the first extraction device he'd developed. This one is much different than the cuffs, and can be held in the palm of his hand. It resembles a type of syringe, set atop some sort of small handheld metal base attached to a handle with a small trigger beneath, almost like a handgun. This one also hadn't taken very long to make.

Its function was very similar to the other's, except it only housed a certain amount of energy being injected. The cuffs offered an unlimited supply, and had to be shut off manually, making them much more dangerous to the donor if something were to go wrong…such as being unable to shut them off before too much had been extracted.

Only The Wicked Witch would be using the syringe…the manacles were meant for him. Although he'd gone over the equations several times, there was no real sure way to determine how much Ivy would need from himself to survive. Originally, he'd thought that because she'd turned out to be a girl, Wicked's energy was much more valuable than his own. But after further consideration, it was the other way around. Because he and the child shared such a strong genetic connection, it only made sense that his energy signature would serve a greater purpose than hers.

He was inwardly grateful for this…the last thing he wanted was for the second most important person in his life to suffer for his own mistakes. Though he would never openly admit to it.

Hacker replaced the syringe back onto the table. He then goes to exit the lab, only to pause, leaning on the door's frame as he glances over into the corner. He sighs while eyeing the pod responsible for his daughter's birth, still finding it hard to believe that his own henchman, Delete, had been the cause of all this. If it wasn't for the dimwitted little bot, his plans for creating a young male tyrant in his image would've gone on without a hitch. Instead, he'd gotten the exact opposite; a perfect little angel. Though it was all just one big accident, he couldn't have asked for a better mistake.

Hacker continues out of the room, making his way down the dimly lit corridor, hands shoved in his pockets as he watches the metallic tiles pass beneath his feet. He couldn't recall ever feeling this miserable before now, even when facing defeat against his enemies. This was different, almost like guilt, wanting more than anything to see his little girl back home, safe and sound. He wished so much that he could go back in time and take back everything that had been said between him and Wicked while Ivy listened in. But at the same time, he knew it was probably for the best. Keeping her in the dark about his true intentions had only made things worse. Although she feared him, and probably despised him, at least now she knew the truth, even if it meant her choosing an entirely different path than what he'd originally intended.

Ivy was nothing like him, and hopefully, she would stay that way.

He shook his head, not used to having all these emotions. Mainly from showing concern for someone else. Not just for Ivy, but Wicked as well. He wasn't sure what was going on with him lately; perhaps a malfunction of programming, or some sort of glitch in his internal hard drive. Whatever it was had brought about an entirely new perspective on things. For some reason he appeared to be developing concern where there hadn't been any before…and not just for the girl. Something about him was changing, and whether or not it was a good thing was still to be determined. But he was almost positive that the child's arrival had been responsible.

Hacker thinks on this, taking in his surroundings. The Grim Wreaker had been his home and base of operations for several years now. As time went on, he'd built many inventions, as well as the few robotic companions to handle most of the grunt work, Digit being the only one to abandon him. Although he despised the purple bird, he couldn't really blame him for leaving. Despite everything he'd done to make himself comfortable, it was dreadfully lonely on the desolate site. Anyone with common sense would've done everything possible to find somewhere more bearable to live…not to mention a more supportable employer.

It was perfectly understandable for someone as young and innocent as Ivy to want something better. As much as he cared for her and was willing to give her anything to make her happy, deep down he always knew that it would never be enough. She deserved so much better than what he had to offer, despite what Wicked had told him. True, she was right about him at least attempting to be a good father, but there was no denying the fact of who he was, and where he'd been banished to. The Northern Frontier was no place for a child to grow up…neither was having a criminal mastermind as a parent.

Hacker suddenly looks up, only now realizing he'd wandered all through the Grim Wreaker, ending up outside the door to his own chambers. He stares at it glumly for a moment before opening it and stepping inside the dark room, the door sliding shut behind him. His hand is guided from memory, reaching through the blackness to switch on the light.

Once his eyes have adjusted, the first thing he catches site of is a familiar piece of clothing draped over a chair on the other side of the room. He goes over to it, reaching out to grasp the purple material. While running his hands over the sleeves of his cape, he tries to recall the last time he'd actually worn it. He looks up and over at the full length mirror hanging from the wall, eyeing his reflection's appearance with a mixture of emotions.

He moves to stand in front of it, still holding what had once been a symbol of his presence; the mere sight of this cape had become a clear sign of his arrival anywhere in Cyberspace, striking fear into the citizens of the site he'd set foot on. Whenever he'd worn it, something powerful built up within his system, a feeling of superiority and control. It was a feeling that he'd never gotten while working under his employer and creator Doctor Marbles, as well as the ever watchful and judging eyes of Motherboard.

Everyone in Cyberspace, including the Earthlings constantly foiling his plans, had always seen him in this cape while gallivanting about the other sites, attempting hostile takeovers whenever the opportunity presented itself. The only individual who'd rarely seen it was Ivy. At first, he'd simply stopped wearing it because it constantly got in the way of daily tasks involving being a full time parent. But despite this being his excuse, having it on around her just felt unnatural, like she wasn't meant to see him the way he'd always been. The scourge of Cyberspace; The Infamous Hacker.

A sigh escapes him as his expression hardens, the cloak now giving him a feeling of unsettlement. Other than his daughter, his reputation had become a constant notion on his already stressed mind. It had even haunted him in his sleep, unable to get a moments peace since the day that green smoke had snaked through the Grim Wreaker. Things hadn't felt quite right due to such a drastic change. After he'd finally accepted the fact that he was now a father, it was more than expected that things would be much different in the Northern Frontier with little Ivy now in the picture. But out of all the changes that would take place, he hadn't counted on it including the one thing that had always mattered most to the oppressive cyborg;

Who he was, and who he'd always planned on being.

Hacker tosses the cape back on to the chair before sitting down on it, leaning forward to put his face in his green hands, rubbing at his tired eyes. It was a difficult decision that he wasn't too thrilled on making. But if it meant the difference between keeping her in his life or losing her to his enemies, then any mental anguish he was putting himself through was the least he was willing to sacrifice.

Lifting his head up, he looks to his right, eyeing the nightstand next to his bed. He stares at it for sometime before finally reaching out to open the top drawer. He quietly sifts through various things before his hand finally closes around the small item he'd been searching for. Hacker brings his hand back down in front of him, staring intently at what's in the palm of his hand, his solemn expression unchanged. After a moment, his fingers close around the small electronic device, pushing his fist against his forehead.

"What am I going to do?" Hacker asks aloud in a defeated tone, his voice in a whisper as his eyes close tight. "I just don't know what to do-"

A soft knocking at the door interrupts his brooding as he snaps his head up, eyes now wide. He stares unmoving at the closed door. "What?" he barks angrily, though there's a trace of fear. "What is it?" He's even more surprised at the response he receives from the other side.

"Hacker?" came a feminine voice. "Is everything alright?"

"Um-" He jumps to his feet. "Yes! Yes, I'm fine. I was just-" He nearly swallows his words at remembering what he currently had in his possession. He quickly replaces it in its previous hiding place, still rather wary of letting anyone know of its existence, and whether or not he would be using it. Especially her. "Um, getting a bit of shut eye, is all! Jus-Just a moment!"

He moves to the door, doing a double-take of his nightstand, cursing at leaving the drawer ajar. In one fluid motion, he leaps over to it, slamming it shut, then bounding back to the door, just as the access button had been pressed from the outside, sliding open to reveal the worry stricken face of The Wicked Witch.

"Wicked!" he blurts, immediately feeling awkward while standing at attention. "I, uh, didn't think you'd still be awake at this hour. Isn't it, rather late?"

She stares at him before giving her slender wrist a quick glance. "It's seven-thirty in the morning."

Hacker blinks. "Oh." He states, looking over at the time displayed on the clock in his room, raising his brow in surprise. "So it is."

Wicked cocks her head to the side, still showing concern. "You didn't actually stay in that lab all night, did you?" she asks, looking him over. "You look terrible."

He shrugs, stating somewhat proudly, "sleep is just one of the many sacrifices a genius must make in order to get results, my dear."

She gives him a small grin. "Too worried to sleep, huh?"

He is about to protest, instead slumping forward, his exhaustion nearly taking over as he leans up against the door frame. He nods.

Wicked looks on at him for a moment, rubbing at her arm. "So…how'd it go in the lab? Is there anything else that can be done?"

Hacker sees the trace of anxiety in the woman's eyes. It'd been there ever since he'd explained to her what exactly it was that Ivy needed in order to survive. Deep down he knew that he cared for her, and that she had the same feelings for him, though she rarely ever showed it. This being one of the few times she'd actually expressed concern for his safety, rather than just Ivy's. He wanted to eventually talk to her about what was happening between them…if only the timing was better.

Dropping his gaze down to the floor, he shakes his head once. "No. I went over every possible scenario involving the type of energy she would need…none of it would last very long…giving her mine is the only way."

She nods in understanding, eyes almost glazing over. "So then…there's still the possibility that you…you could-"

"Yes…there is."

"But, you're sure that," she continues, voice shaking slightly. "There's nothing I can do that-"

"Wicked," he interrupts, bringing a hand up to her cheek to wipe away the single tear she'd failed to hold back. "It's alright. I've already told you that you'll be fine. She doesn't-"

"I'm not worried about myself, Hacker!" She almost yells, grasping onto his hand. Gazing up at him sadly. "What about you?"

He doesn't respond right away, only taking in the woman's mixture of emotions as she fights to keep back the rest of her tears. The Wicked Witch had always been a mystery to him. One minute she would be threatening to turn him into a toad because he wasn't worth the trouble of being in a relationship…the next she was a dedicated friend and colleague, and displaying what he'd always assumed was her own way of showing affection. Despite her confusing behavior, he'd always been able to read her.

But now, as she gazes up at him, eyes reflecting the light from the room, he sees something new. She'd never been like this around him before. At first he'd thought all her concern was for Ivy's safety. But apparently the girl wasn't the only one who held a special place in her heart.

Hacker gently stokes her cheek with his green hand, forcing a small smile for her. "Wicked," he began, his voice low and comforting, the sudden show of warmth causing her eyes to widen in surprise. "I…need you to promise me something."

She blinks a few times, tears involuntarily falling from her eyes. "What?"

Hacker takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He needed to word this carefully. "Seeing as how there's a chance that I…that I won't, um…" He pauses, giving an awkward cough, hoping to clear up the tense feeling building up in his chest.

"Hacker," she says quietly, getting closer to him, no longer fighting to hold back her tears.

"Will you, make sure that, Ivy is looked after?" He feels his own eyes beginning to sting. "Just…make sure she's, safe…and happy." He nods once, now struggling to keep his own emotions in check. "There's no reason for her to grieve over someone like me, and…and neither should you-"

She shakes her head frantically, her expression now filled with dread. "Oh, Hacker please, don't talk like this, please-

"Promise me." Though he'd interrupted her, his tone hadn't risen, still just as sincere. "You're the only person that I can truly count on to do this…just, promise me that you won't let anything happen to her." He pleads to her with glazed eyes. "Please, Wicked…I need you."

It was at this moment that he'd realized just how desperate he'd sounded, as well as how close he and Wicked had come to one another. After this last request, they'd both gone silent. At first he'd taken it as a sign that she was taking this into consideration. But now, as he cups her face in his green hands, their eyes lock. There were so many emotions built up behind hers that it was almost too much for the villain to bear.

She doesn't respond, only blinking up at him, allowing him to pull her closer. He brings her head up more, her lips just inches from-

"_Boss…Hey, Boss?"_

Hacker and Wicked groan almost in unison. He doesn't look away from her as he reaches out to the wall in his room, pressing down on a small button. He gives a sigh before speaking to the intercom.

"Yes, Buzz, what is it?"

"_Sorry, Boss. But ya said ya wanted us tuh tell ya when we got to Motherboard's."_

Hacker couldn't help giving Wicked a smirk as Wicked forces a grin, her face now a light shade of red.

When there's no answer, Buzz's voice comes from the speaker yet again, more hesitant this time.

"_I'm, uh…not interrupting you, er anything. Am I, Boss-"_

"No, Buzz." He says, watching as Wicked stares down at the floor, averting his gaze. "I'll be there in a moment."

The voice that speaks next is Delete, as always too excited to control what comes out of his mouth. _"No problem, Boss. Piece uh cake! We got it all handled, so-"_

"_Dee Dee, gimme back duh microphone! It's my job tuh let Hacker know if we're there yet!"_

"_You always get to talk into the PA system. When do I get a turn!_

"_Stop bein such a baby, Delete!"_

"_I will whenever you stop being such a jerk-"_

"Perfect timing, Boys. As always," Hacker grumbles, locking eyes with Wicked, his gaze almost apologetic. He releases the button, putting an end to the childish squabble.

He stares at her for a moment, thinking of what to say in order to make things a little less awkward. Something finally comes to mind, but she beats him to it.

"You'd better go…the way they fight we'll probably end up on the opposite side of Cyberspace in only a few minutes." The red had gone from her face, but there was still a hint of embarrassment about the way she gazes up at him. "And we really don't have that kind of time."

He forces a grin. Once again things just weren't going the way he'd like them to.

* * *

**Wow! You could cut the tension between these two with a knife! Stay tuned to find out what happens at Control Central. **

**Chapter 11 is just about done. Be patient...we're almost at the end!**


	11. When Time Runs Out

**Note: As always, I can't take credit for Cyberchase. But I can claim every inch of this fic for myself! Booyah!**

**FYI: I might have rushed through this one just a teensy bit, so don't be surprised if I have to edit some of it.**

* * *

**My One and Only: A Cyberspace Story**

**By LaurenShort-DisneyFan **

**Chapter 11: When Time Runs Out…**

"I can **not **believe we're doing this."

These were the fist words to be spoken for a good while between the group of teens. Each of them had been going through so many different emotions it was difficult to express exactly how any of them truly felt about the day's events.

Matt looks up from his driving to see Jackie's reflection slouched in the backseat, shaking her head at the window, her face worry stricken. "Whatta mean, Jacks?"

"This!" She throws her arms up in frustration. "All of it! Think about it guys," she explains, beginning to count on her fingers. "We find some random little girl at the Northern Frontier, find out she's Hacker's **daughter **of all things, then the Doc tells us she doesn't have much time left, and the only way to save her is some kind of transplant, or whatever, from the only person she shares a genetic connection with." Jackie slumps in her seat. "So here we are, going **back **to the Northern Frontier, in hopes that one person will actually do the right thing for once in his miserable life and help someone else for a change!" She then shrugs. "But hey, that's just my opinion…I mean if you guys think Hacker's gotten a little more generous since last we saw him, then I'll shut up."

After a moment of silent thought, Inez finally looks over at Matt uneasily. "I hate to say it, but…she does make a good point."

Matt whips his head around in surprise, almost forgetting he's piloting a cyber craft. "Woah, seriously? But you guys were the ones who felt bad for the kid in the first place!"

"It's not that I don't wanna help Ivy," Jackie defends. "But asking The Hacker for help?"

"Plus," Inez adds. "We barely know this girl…and what if Doctor Marbles is right; there's a really good chance that we're supposed to go after Hacker for help. Just another of his plans to take over Cyberspace. "

"Well, hang on a sec!" The red-head keeps his steering steady as he turns to each of the girls, not too thrilled about their sudden change of heart. "I thought we agreed this was our best shot? You were the ones that felt so bad for her!"

"We still do, Matt," says Inez, sharing a concerned glance with Jackie. "It's just that, well…you can't really blame us for our having doubts, can you?"

Matt blinks at them. "Doubts? You can't be serious!" He gestures through the bubble of glass surrounding the three. "This is the second flight this coupe's had to take all the way to the Northern Frontier then back to Control Central! Not to mention I've already been pushing it by using the hyper-drive function."

"We didn't tell you to engage that," Jackie lectures. "You were the one that wanted to be all heroic and stuff."

"I wasn't using it to be heroic!" Matt came back with in defense. "We're in a hurry, aren't we? So why wouldn't I use it!"

Jackie rolls her. "Gee, I don't know. Probably because all guys have this weird obsession with anything that remotely resembles something out of Star Wars, or have this urge to drive as fast as possible!"

"Come on guys, now isn't the time to fight." Inez's attempts at preventing an argument go unheard as Matt quickly comes back with his own response.

"Look, I wasn't hearing any objections when we first left. In fact, I believe your exact words were, 'Come on you guys! There's no time to lose,'" he says, voice layered with sarcasm. " 'The faster we find Hacker, the faster Ivy gets the help she needs.' Sound familiar?"

"Wow, really, Matt?" Jackie forces an offended scoff. "That's really mature. Taking something totally out of context from what I said, and turning it into something that works to your advantage."

"Guys, seriously. We can't afford to-"

She's interrupted by an alarming buzzer pulsating, as well a yellow light flashing repeatedly on the dash. Instinctively their hands fly up and over their ears.

"What the heck is that!" Jackie calls over the shrill noise.

"Something must be malfunctioning!"

"Figure that out all by yourself, eh, Matt!"

Matt glares back at the African-American. "Now who's being immature!"

"It's the ship's engine!" Inez states, pointing at one of the many meters in front of her. "It might be overheated!"

Matt lets go of his head to readjust the controls, as well as flip a few switches and press a button or two for good measure. Due to his limited knowledge on vehicles in general, this was the best he could think to do. Unfortunately, it was more pointless than useful.

He shakes his head frantically. "I, think we may have overdone it when we engaged that hyper drive when we first left!" He then shrugs. "Oops."

"Yeah, we." Jackie rolls her eyes, still covering her ears. "Because we're all behind the controls right now!"

Matt ignores her, his eyes not leaving the digital numbers displaying the ship's elevation. He swallows the lump in his throat at seeing the numbers getting lower.

Inez also sees this, her voice almost inaudible when she states, "uh oh."

"Uh oh!" Jackie looks to her friend in alarm. "What uh oh? You know I hate it when anyone says uh oh!"

She scans the outside of the dome in alarm. "The coupe is losing altitude. Fast!" Her head whips around to see a still panicked Mathew scrambling over the controls. "Matt, you need to get us back on track, we're going down!"

"Down where!" Jackie's arms fling about. "We're floating in the middle of cyberspace, where could we possibly fall down to!"

Matt now jerks back on the steering mechanism, not too thrilled with the results. "Dammit! The controls are locked up!" He looks over at the frightened girls as their stares turn from hopeful to dreading. "I couldn't steer this thing even if it was still working right!"

With wide eyes, the three now stare out into the blackness of space around them, not looking forward to finally catching site of a cyber site looming beneath their doomed craft, finally putting an end to its drifting. The sound of the alarm is forgotten for the time being, having much more important things to deal with at the moment-

As if on cue, a violent jerk suddenly shakes the small craft, feeling as though they'd actually hit something solid. The buzzing and flashing light also subside, giving the ship an eerie silence. It takes them all a moment to adjust to the drastic change, each of them slowly poking their heads up, squinting through clenched eyes.

Jackie, breathing somewhat heavily, looks about her, an agitated look now on her face. She furrows her brow, finally coming out with, "well, that was a bit overdramatic."

Inez nods, adjusting her glasses. "Yeah…good thing we were right above a cyber site, otherwise who knows how much speed we would've picked up the longer we fell." She pauses, also having to catch her breath from all the excitement. "How do the controls look, Matt?"

Matt doesn't respond, having gone quiet as he stares out his side of the dome.

Inez blinks. "Matt, what is it?"

Jackie cranes her neck to see out the same direction. "Yeah, what site did we hit, anyway?"

After a moment, Matt's response finally comes. But it's not an answer they would've anticipated.

"We, uh," the red-head began, slowly shaking his head. "Didn't, land on a site…" He looks upward, not blinking.

"Say what? Well, then what'd we hit?" Jackie asked, joining Inez in confusion.

He shook his head again, but just once. "We didn't **hit** anything…" His voice is more annoyed than what was to be expected as he glares. He extends a finger upward. "Pretty sure this is more like hitchhiking."

They follow his gesture, looking out and up through his side of the ship. Rather than appear shocked, or even surprised, they share Matt's irritation towards the reason behind preventing the coupe's freefall into cyberspace.

"Oh, great," Jackie grumbles, giving the much larger craft now hovering next to their smaller one a fierce look. "What're the odds of this not being who I think it is?"

Inez groans, still staring. "Not good…not good at all."

They're far from thrilled at the site of the all too familiar Grim Wreaker and the immense robotic claw protruding from its underbelly, clasped tightly around the tail end of the coupe. Too many encounters with their worst enemy had involved situations exactly like this. Unfortunately, this time, it was a good thing that Hacker constantly took them into his custody to use as bargaining chips with Motherboard or Doctor Marbles.

This time around, the tables were turned. Hopefully they could use it to their advantage.

A light beep illustrates up from the console, flashing in unison to a small green square just below it. The three teens stare at it before one of them, Matt, finally reaches out and presses it. But not without exchanging looks with the girls first. Almost immediately a small display screen comes to life, showing an all too familiar face leering up at them. Though it wasn't the one they were expecting.

"Alright you darn kids!" came Delete's high, whiney tone. "Where is she?"

"Yeah!" Delete is abruptly pushed aside to reveal a much shorter Buzz, just as heated as his counterpart. "Who do ya think you are? Comin' in an' just takin' our Ivy like that!" He shakes a small fist. "Give 'er back! Now!"

"Ivy doesn't belong to you," Inez states. "Or the Hacker."

"Speaking of that grease ball," Jackie chimed in. "Where is that no good boss of yours, anyway?"

"None uh' your business, Girlie!" snapped Buzz, jamming a stubby finger into the screen. "And we'll ask the questions here! Where's duh girl?"

"A lot safer now," Inez says defiantly. "No thanks to any of you."

Jackie nods. "Yeah, what kind of sicko makes a clone of himself, and then doesn't even bother to save her from dying."

"Hey," shouts Delete. "She is **not** a clone! So don't you-"

"Waitwaitwait!" Buzz pushes him out of the way again, looking through the monitor in alarm. "What'd you just say? D-Did, something happen tuh Ivy!"

Delete gasps. "Ivy's hurt!" He then bares his teeth, more angry at hearing this. "What'd you do to Hacker's little girl? She'd better be okay-"

"Little girl?" Matt murmurs to himself.

"**We **didn't do anything!" Jackie came back with. "**Your **Boss is the one that could care less what happens to an innocent child!"

"You brats don't know what yer talkin' about," said Buzz. "Now mind yer own business and hand over the kid, if ya know what's good for ya!"

"You better not have harmed a hair on our Ivy's head, or there's gonna be some serious trouble."

Jackie rolls her eyes at Delete's threat. "Mkay, we're wasting a lot of time here. Either tell us where Hacker is or we bust into that hunkuh junk and find him ourselves."

"Guys, seriously," Matt intervenes, stopping Jackie from adding anything else she would definitely regret later. "We're losing sight of what's important here." He pauses, looking to the image of the two robots earnestly. "Listen; we're not here to start trouble. If anything, we wanna fix things."

Buzz and Delete exchange suspicious glances before the shorter of the two ask, "Whadda ya mean by 'fix' tings?"

"Buzz, Delete," Inez offers. "Ivy is in real trouble…and the only way to help her is if we talk to Hacker. You have to believe that we only want what's best for Ivy. We're only trying to help."

Again, the two bots look to one another. After a moment of silence, Delete is the first to speak, worry lining his small voice. "So…she really is sick, then?"

"Very," Jackie nods once, attempting to use a more sympathetic tone this time. "And the only one who can do anything about it is Hack-I mean, her dad."

"It's difficult to explain," adds Inez. "But without his DNA, Ivy doesn't have much time left."

"Come on, guys." Matt almost pleads. "Just let us talk to him…you owe the kid that much."

It's quiet again as they appear to consider this. From the looks of it, both Buzz and Delete had developed enough of a soft spot for Ivy to take her safety into serious consideration. The teens could only hope that the cyborg in question felt the same way. Someone's life depended on it.

A few minutes later, the long metallic claw gripping onto their cyber coupe begins to retract back into the Grim Wreaker, bringing the Cyber Squad with it.

* * *

Ivy hums to herself quietly as she sits cross-legged on the bed, scribbling pictures with many varieties of colorful crayons that Digit had provided her with. It was the only thing that kept her mind off of everything that had happened the day before, and later into the night.

Rather than stay up and wait for her new friends the Earth kids to return, the good Doctor Marbles had insisted that she get some rest. At first, she wasn't very keen to the idea. But after meeting and speaking with the one known as Motherboard, she'd felt a wave of exhaustion flood over her. She couldn't remember ever being so tired before that. Then again, she did have a rather long and stressful day. Once she'd agreed to get some rest, Doctor Marbles, as well as the purple cybernetic bird Digit, seemed all too relieved at hearing this, seeming to waste no time in setting up a room for the little green girl. Though she was very grateful, she couldn't help but feel out of place in the comfortable, yet strange space, that had been provided to her;

The room was spacious, with a few pieces of furniture up against one wall, two cushioned chairs, as well as a high square table next to a blinded window located to her right. To her left was a large mirror, taking up almost the entire wall, save for the now closed door just next to it. She thought it funny that such an enormous mirror would be meant for someone as small as her. After all, there wasn't really much to see.

It's quiet as she continues to color a rather shrewd picture of Buzz. This was her second attempt, having a hard time imagining his odd bulbous shape and trying to make him look just as happy as his counterpart Delete drawn next to him. Out of everything happening to her, she found that as long as she could remember things how they'd been before that horrible afternoon, it seemed to make everything a little better. If only for a moment.

Ivy feels stress on her arm, grunting as she lifts it to once again readjust the various cables that the doctor had connected to her with various sizes of suction cups. Some protruded from her forehead and parts of her arm, and even one on the back of her neck. It seemed that no matter how many different positions she tried to find, not one of them ever escaped the disconcerting reminder that the cords were there. However pestering they may have been, the most inconvenient out of Marbles' medical devices was the small metal thimble-like cover that had been slid over her left index finger and secured with a strip of white tape, making her art project all the more difficult.

She didn't entirely understand why, but Digit had reassured her that the wires, all hooked up to pieces of strange machinery at her bedside, were only there to help her. It seemed strange the way he'd tried explaining what their full purpose was. Almost uncomfortable at her curious questioning. Basically, from what she'd managed to gather, it was for a very good reason. What that reason actually was, though…no one seemed to have a straight answer for that one.

Ivy hadn't noticed that she'd stopped coloring, instead starring down at what she'd started to draw with her green crayon. Yet another attempt at what she'd always considered a family portrait, never getting anyone's appearance just right. But despite her lack of talent, she'd always managed to get one person drawn exactly how she'd meant to. Exactly how she saw him, everyday. From the first day he'd introduced himself to her.

She gazes unblinking at the top half of The Hacker taking shape next to what she'd drawn to be herself next to Buzz. Out of pure habit she'd started drawing the first person she'd always seen when she woke up in the morning, to the one who tucked her in at night. Though the only way she would ever get to sleep, was knowing he was there, keeping away whatever if was that she thought she heard moving around under her bed or the darkness of her closet. The only explanation she'd gotten was from Delete; something about a "Boogie Man". Despite her father's reassuring that there was no such thing, he would stay…his voice being the last thing she'd heard before drifting off to sleep.

Ivy sniffs, wiping away at a tear about to fall from her check, following the first two that she'd failed to notice before they'd dripped onto her picture, running over the colored sketch of herself. It pained her how much she missed him, despite everything that she'd learned from the ones that she hoped really were friends. She'd only ever been lied to once…hopefully it would stay that way.

Ivy pushes her papers and art supplies to the side, laying back on her propped up pillow, fidgeting with the hem of the blue blanket draped over her. She hated being alone. Especially at bedtime. It just didn't feel right. Though despite her discomfort towards her unfamiliar surroundings and lack of protection from something that might go "bump in the night", she felt unbelievably tired. Like she hadn't slept in days, suddenly drained of any vigor she'd had before.

This strange loss of energy frightened her, more than anything she'd seen or done since the months after her creation. It was a horrible feeling to be alone, especially now. Despite any hatred she might've held for him before hand, all she could think of to make everything better…make the pain and tears go away…was one man;

Daddy…Her daddy.

She tries to will herself to stay conscious…unsure of what might happen if she goes to sleep now. With no one there to watch over her. To keep her safe. Despite her fear, she begins to slip away, no longer in control. The few pieces of furniture begin to go blurry, before becoming dark shapes. In the distance, she can hear a faint beeping noise, its pulsating slowly increasing the darker the room around her becomes.

One last tear rolls down her cheek and onto her pillow before her eyes become too heavy to keep open, finally closing. Her last thoughts are of the day before, wanting more than anything to go back and change the decision she'd made…running away. She didn't want to run, not anymore.

"Daddy…Daddy, please…" She quietly calls for him. "Daddy…"

Her sobs go quiet after a moment, drowned out by the beeping as it switches up to just one straight high pitched sound, calling out to anyone that will hear it. Answering the call to come to her side.

"please…m'scared…m'…s-sorry…dad-"

Her small voice finds deaf ears, just before her world goes black, not noticing the sudden movement rushing into the room, coming to her aid.

* * *

Doctor Marbles runs a finger over his blue mustache, staring intently through the large window before him. He watches the small girl on the other side as she continues coloring innocently. He sighs through his nose, grateful for the one-way mirror. The last thing the child needed was to see the look of worry set upon his face. She was confused enough as it was.

Attempting to explain her condition had proved to be too difficult for words. He wasn't used to conversing with someone so young and innocent. Especially when it came to dealing with Hacker. The best he could do was have Digit speak to her, knowing the bird felt more sympathetic towards her situation than anyone. Despite Hacker's nature, he was still their creator, and the closest thing to a parent they would ever have. The only difference between them was that Digit had never developed the same bond that Ivy had managed to. The thought of a possibility that Hacker felt as strongly towards his latest creation was unimaginable. The naivety of her age had to be the only explanation for her odd affection towards the malicious cyborg. He also found it entirely believable that Hacker would use this to his own sick advantages.

His neglect to help the girl with her condition only fueled the doctor's anger.

Doctor Marbles had been keeping a close eye on Ivy for several reasons; her illness not exactly at the top of the list. True, he felt remorse for someone so young and new to the world having their very life taken from them so quickly. But when it came to his former assistant, he never took chances. He couldn't help but feel that this sweet little girl before him was yet again just another ploy for The Hacker to gain control of a situation, no matter who was hurt in the process.

Pity seemed to be his primary sentiment, as it was also Motherboard's. He'd always trusted her judgment in the past when it came to the citizens of Cyberspace, Hacker being the only exception. His main objective was to see that, despite how he felt, they would all be looked after accordingly…no matter how disbelieving the appearance. It was not his job to question, but to assist in any way he can.

Ivy's condition also baffled him. Regardless of her current state, she had shown no signs of physical decay whatsoever. The only thing remotely resembling her illness was a lack of energy, though that may have been from sleep deprivation. It was impossible to tell, making it all the more intriguing. The sympathetic part of him wanted nothing more than to do everything in his power to see her safely through this, especially if her own "father" wasn't going to. But his true intentions were clouded by his apprehensive side, having difficulty ignoring the warning signs that seemed to jump out at him.

He wasn't used to being torn between decisions such as this. Therefore, it only made sense to leave the deciding up to the one who always knew best. He would do just that…though his guard would never drop. Not when Hacker was involved somehow-

His thoughts are interrupted by a faint beeping now illustrating from the other side of the one-way mirror. He trains his eyes on the equipment he'd installed at her bedside, glimpsing one of the graphs displayed on a small screen, not liking the way the lines suddenly spiking much higher than before. He then watches Ivy as she huddles up underneath her blanket, an entirely new expression on her small face; fear, maybe?

He'd just noticed the tears beginning to form in her green eyes, her small mouth moving slightly while she lays back on her pillow. Before he can make out what she might be saying, a shrill noise fills the air in the room, one that a doctor never wants to hear, causing his heart to race.

Doctor Marbles acts on impulse, pressing with full force on a button on the wall next to him, barking, "Digit! I need you in here, it's happening! Bring the electro-root serum we prepared. Hurry!" He doesn't wait for a response, going over to open the sliding door to Ivy's room. He gives a side glance through the window, knowing there was really nothing he could do for her at this point, not yet…

Not without Hacker.

* * *

**Holy crap that was sad! I actually teared up a little when I read through this for the first time. Poor kid… **

**Don't worry, things will be okay…I think…**

**Stay tuned to find out what happens next! **


	12. Confrontation

**NOTE: Anything associated with Cyberchase clearly doesn't belong to me. But it will always have my love! (Lame. I know.)**

**My One and Only: A Cyberspace Story**

**By LaurenShort-DisneyFan **

**Chapter 12: Confrontation…**

* * *

"Of all the rotten, despicable, low-down, ruthless, cold-hearted things I've ever done to attempt world domination, this disgusts even **me**!"

Hacker had wasted no time in rushing down to the Wreaker's bridge to intercept the three arrivals, first demanding to know what they'd done with Ivy, only receiving an explanation as to where she currently was and why she'd been abducted in the first place. This did nothing but add fuel to the fire.

"Look, there wasn't much we could do," Jackie explains. "I mean, we found a random little girl running around The Northern Frontier all by herself, saying she never wanted to come back." She places her hands on her hips. "If that's not someone who needs rescuing, I don't know who is!"

Inez nods. "Plus, we had no idea who she was, let alone who her parents were." She frowns. "Can't really blame us for crossing you off that list, can you?"

"That doesn't give you the right to show up out of nowhere, unannounced, and justify kidnapping a distraught child!" Hacker shouts, jabbing a green finger at each of them. "Now where the hell is Ivy!"

"We've already told you," Matt gets in his face angrily. "She's with the Doc, and he's doing everything he can to help her-"

"That bulb headed twit won't be able to do anything for that girl." He pushes past the teens, leaving the argument to take control of The Grim Wreaker, nearly stepping on Buzz in the process. "The fact that he's clearly not qualified for something so complex doesn't help things, either."

At that moment, Wicked rushes in, scanning the room frantically. "Ivy? Ivy, Honey, where are you?" She looks to the Earthlings. "Where is she?"

"Don't bother, they left her with Marbles," Hacker states over his shoulder, forcing himself to sound bitter rather than panicked. "Now thanks to Motherboard's little heroes, we may not reach her in time."

The Wicked Witch doesn't respond, only sharing mixed emotions with a glance to each of the three. She knew it wasn't entirely their fault. After all, if she'd never met Ivy she'd even be concerned at the sight of a five year old girl suddenly popping up in The Hacker's territory.

Rather than add to the tension of the already stressful situation, she holds her tongue, joining Hacker at the control consol. Keeping her voice low, she asks, "how much longer does she have?"

He stares intently at the large monitor, shaking his head. "Impossible to tell. But from what I could gather from those equations, I'd say at least a day…maybe less."

"Poor little Ivy," Delete bawls into his hands. "It's not fair, Buzzie. We didn't even have her that long!" He shakes his head. "Why her…why now. I-It's too soon."

Buzz gives his brother a consoling pat on the back. "I know Deeds. I know."

"Will you idiots keep it down!" Hacker glowers over his shoulder. "She's going to be fine! We'll make it there in time. Just, shut up for now!" He turns back around, lowering his voice to nearly a whisper. "We'll make it. I'll…I'll make it."

Matt, Jackie, and Inez are wide-eyed at the scene before them, looking to one another for some kind of explanation as to when it was The Grim Wreaker became subject to The Twilight Zone. They can only shrug, going into a huddle.

"Okay," Jackie began, taking in a breath. "Can someone please explain to me how we ended up in a parallel universe where all the bad guys suddenly have a heart?"

"I know, right?" Inez glances to her left, noticing a worry stricken Wicked placing a comforting hand on Hacker's shoulder. She shudders. "It's kinda creepy."

"So what do we do?" Matt asks. "Obviously there's a lot more going on with Hacker than we thought. It sounds like he actually," he can't help but grimace. "Cares about Ivy."

Jackie shakes her head in disbelief. "Didn't see that one coming."

"Well, regardless of how, unexpected this all is," adds Inez, still watching as Hacker returns the gesture, reaching his hand up to rest on hers. "Just remember why we came looking for him in the first place. He's Ivy's only hope…and obviously he knows that."

Matt brightens. "Hey, yeah. This just makes our job way easier!" He blinks when he sees the cold looks he receives from the girls. "What? It does?"

"Stop joking around, Mattie," Jackie hissed. "This is serious."

"Okay, okay," he swipes a hand down over his face. "Now going serious."

Jackie rolls her eyes, socking him in the arm before they break up their sidebar. Together, they move up behind their worst enemy. Inez, having lost a brief game of "rock, paper, scissors", clears her throat rather loudly, hoping to get the tyrant's attention. When there's no acknowledgement, her team mates gesture for her to try again. She does, choosing another approach.

"So, what um…what exactly do you have in mind…?" She stumbles. "For Ivy, I mean."

"That's none of your concern," he barks, still operating the Wreaker's controls. "It never was. And now because of your constant need to butt into my affairs, Ivy may be out of time!" He turns slightly, almost growling. "Because of you three I might lose the only thing that-"

"Hacker," Wicked cautions, tightening her grip on his shoulder. "There's nothing that can be done about it now…please." She locks eyes with him, almost pleading. "Just, getting to her on time is all that matters right now."

He scans her expression, picking up on the warning tone she uses. He throws another death glare back at the group before giving her a brisk nod, getting back to the mission at hand. Since the first time she'd worked alongside The Hacker, over the years she'd learned his patterns, especially when it came to his determination. If there was anything about him that hadn't changed, it would be the dedication to his work, willing to risk everything for the success of his plans…and Ivy was his greatest creation.

Wicked gives him one last consoling pat before moving towards the Cybersquad, nodding to the back of the control room. Without a word, they catch on to her unspoken gesture, following her out of ear shot of the cyborg and his grieving minions. Once there, she speaks to them in a hushed voice, all the while the sincerity never leaving her tone, making the conversation all the more alien.

She takes a breath. "Now, I know what you're thinking-"

"Oh, I seriously doubt that!" Jackie blurts, surprised at the glares she receives. She shrugs, crossing her arms. "What? We were all thinking it…I just said it first."

Wicked ignores the comment, continuing. "This is all very, unexpected. And totally out of place, I know. Believe me, I thought the same thing when I found out." She glances over at Ivy's father, always amazed at his die-hard focus. It was a part of him that didn't come out very often, but it was definitely a surprise whenever it did. He was an entirely different person when he got this way, the behavior only intensified with Ivy acting as motivation.

"Look," she sighs, struggling to find the right words. "There's a lot more to this than you know…Ivy isn't like his other creations she's, so much more. She's not just another experiment or, plot for world domination…and no one knows that more than Hacker." She began to tell them of the past few months, filling them in on the chain of events that would lead to the reason why Ivy had ran away in the first place, and how it had pained him to hide the truth from her, despite that being the reason for her creation. She may not have turned out exactly how he'd planned, but he wouldn't trade Ivy for anything in Cyberspace…not even the throne itself.

He only wanted to protect her, and lying about who he really was had been his only option, despite Wicked's warning him she would find out eventually, and that he couldn't hide her from the truth forever. Hacker had always meant well by the girl, and he always will. Regardless of what happens between them.

Once Wicked had finished, the three are slack jawed from shock. She wasn't surprised. She'd acted about the same when she'd first laid eyes on Hacker's little girl.

"So," Inez croaked first. "Ivy isn't a distraction at all." She looks to Matt. "She's, just an accident. A really good one, but still…an accident."

The red head shakes his head in disbelief. "I just can't believe that Hacker actually has good intentions this time. Who knew he **could **care about someone other than himself?"

Wicked nods, unable to hide a small smile. "I know what you mean. But, now do you understand what he's been going through? All he wants is what's best for her…whether he's in the picture or not."

"This is just nuts," Jackie interjects. "Yer making it sound like he doesn't even wanna take out Motherboard anymore. Sorry, but, I'm not totally convinced Hacker is just throwing in the towel. Not after all these years!"

"I hate to admit it, but I agree with you on that," Wicked had to confess. "I've known him too long to believe he'd just up and quit on wanting to be in charge. It's just not who he is." Her tone is earnest and straightforward. "But he loves that girl more than…well, anything! Even more than ruling over Cyberspace. It's all hard to swallow, but it's true…for the first time in his life, The Hacker cares more about someone else's happiness besides his own…even if that means giving up on everything."

She watches them as they exchange skeptical glances before adding, "I don't blame you for having doubts. But whether or not he's turned over a new leaf isn't the main concern right now. It's that girl…and if anything happens to her?" She paused, watching Hacker mournfully as he struggles to hide his emotions. "There's no telling what it will do to him. He's just barely able to cope with this right now. Losing her will have a strong effect on him…something he may not be able come back from." She looks to them, expression unchanged. "I doubt I need to remind you how Hacker can get when he's upset. I'm almost scared to imagine what he'd be like distraught over losing something he cares for so much."

The group is quiet, obviously not expecting this new bit of information brought to their attention. Before it had been a simple quest to help a misfit experiment created by their arch rival. Now there was so much more to it that they hadn't been aware of until that moment. No one at Central Control had known; not the squad, not Digit, not Dr. Marbles or Motherboard…not even Ivy.

Finally, Inez speaks first. "We…didn't know, we…were just trying to help."

"Yeah," Matt murmurs. "I mean, If we'd really known, then-"

Wicked holds a hand up. "It's best to not bring any of that up now. If anything it'll just make him even more upset."

Jackie nods. "Good point. So, what _can_ we do to help, then?"

A sharp response from Hacker makes them jump. "You've done enough 'helping' for one day. If it's something useful you're looking to contribute, why not try leaving…it's always been my favorite thing about our encounters; watching you three brats turn tail and stay out of my affairs!"

Jackie looked as though she has a retort in mind, but apparently keeps it to herself. Instead, Matt takes the floor. "There must be something we can do to make up for this."

Hacker doesn't respond, only starring off into the blackness of Cyberspace.

"Hacker," Inez pleads. "We never meant for this to happen. We just did what came naturally; a child wanted to leave, so we helped her. We're sorry that we hadn't tried to learn more about who she was before acting so, irrational." She paused. "I wish we could go back and change it but, we can't…now, please, just, give us a chance to make it up to you. To Ivy."

Still, he says nothing, his look of anger not faulting as he tightens his grip on one of the levers before him, knuckles turning white.

Wicked places a hand on Inez's shoulder, preventing her from saying anything else. When the girl looks to her, the woman shakes her head.

"I don't think there's anything you three can do at this point," she says quietly, looking to Hacker sadly. "Now, all we can do is…just, hope we reach her in time. It's all any of us can do."

The cyborg lets out a scoff, throwing another fierce glance back in their direction, grumbling. "Would've had more time were it not for these damn hitchhikers."

Wicked goes quiet with the rest of the room. Now wasn't the time for childish banter, even if it was Hacker's only way of managing feelings he didn't fully understand. He was frightened, that was all. Masking it with anger was all he could probably think to do. Lucky for him, the ones he hated most in the world were right here in the same room, giving him a suitable target to vent his frustrations. She just hoped he would be level-headed enough when it really mattered.

Wicked's thoughts are interrupted by Jackie finally stepping up, breaking the sympathetic atmosphere as she approaches the cyborg angrily. "Hacker are you really that selfish!" she shouts at his back. "Has it even occurred to you why we're here now? Has it!"

As expected, he doesn't respond. She answers her own question heatedly. "Because we care about her, too! We came looking for you because you're her only hope, and we care what happens to her! Obviously, so do you! But you're not the only one in Cyberspace that does." She gestures around the control room, despite him not being able to see her. "Wicked cares, Buzz and Delete care!" She glares at him. "Believe it or not, Ivy told us that she feels the same way about everyone here…even you."

At hearing this, Wicked decides not to stop the girl in mid rant. Instead she stays put, wanting to see where it was going. Hopefully in a better direction.

Hacker doesn't move, urging the African-American to storm up beside him, now in his line of sight. Her voice dangerously low. "Do you know the first thing to come out of her mouth when we asked her if you'd found out she was there yet? If she was in any danger? Before we knew who she was?"

This at least grabs his attention, earning her a side glance before she continues slowly. "She said, she never wanted to see, or talk to you 'never, ever again'! And later on she told us that you didn't want her, but whatever weird experiment it is you were working on, to come out of that stupid pod you built! That she's just another failure-"

"Does this lecture have a point!" Hacker bellows, briskly turning to stare down at her. "Once again, you're only interfering where it's none of your damn business!"

"She thinks you don't want her!" Jackie yells back. "Of all the times you told her how much she meant to you, she thinks you lied to her because she was a mistake. She thinks you still want someone to take over for you as the big honcho bad guy whenever you're gone! That she's not good enough to fit into your dumb plans for ruling over Cyberspace!"

"Because _she _was never meant to!" Hacker argues, gritting his teeth. "Someone else was suppose-"

"Why, because you don't want a girl as an heir? So you really don't think she's good enough."

"I never said that! Again, it's none of your concern!"

"Then you admit she's not who you want as a successor! What is it about her that's not good enough for your topsy-turvey vision of world domination?"

Hacker jabs a finger at her threateningly, his temper rising. "Stop twisting my words! That's not what I mea-"

Jackie's hands are on her hips. "Then why didn't you just tell the truth from the beginning! Why let her find out on her own that she's supposed to be one of the bad guys?"

"I never told her she was-"

"What makes it worse is that you lied about who you were! It would've been easier for her to just tell her everything? Why bother keeping it a secret from her if you didn't think she wasn't good enough?"

"You don't understand, it's not-"

"Why not tell her the truth?" she shouts. "Don't you think she deserves to know everything? Who you **really **are?"

"No!"

"Well why not!"

"Because she's my DAUGHTER!" Hacker slams his fist down onto the consol, leaving a generous dent, the vibrations shaking the metallic tiles beneath everyone's feet. "And she deserves BETTER THAN THIS!"

A dead silence envelopes the room, everyone staring at the green tyrant in shock. Jackie is the most taken aback, having almost stumbled onto the floor from surprise. Hacker breathes heavily, hands still balled up into shaking fists. He glares down at the girl before realizing his outburst. He pales, looking to those around him, only seeing expressions of disbelief. Though the least surprised is Wicked, if anything her look of worry only intensified from the argument.

The fact that he'd suddenly gripped his chest, due to a short stab of pain, probably didn't help things. Hacker takes a breath, struggling to regain his demeanor, attempting to push the random sensation coming from his H drive into the back of his mind. Probably just a software malfunction due to all the stress.

"Look," he begun once he's caught his breath. "Now's not the time for this…It doesn't matter what I'd intended to be her original purpose, or if that's what I still have planned." He directs this at his two henchman. "She…she's dying," he almost chokes, turning back around to continue guiding the Wreaker to its destination. "If she no longer wants anything to do with me, fine…but not before I have a chance to fix what I could've prevented from day one."

He pauses in his attempts at trying to busy himself with the controls, glancing back to catch Wicked's solemn expression. Finally, he sighs.

"I suppose," Hacker adds, a bit reluctant. "If you wanted to help…" He turns his head just enough to catch Jackie's eye. "I imagine it will be rather difficult for me to gain access to her while she's in Central Control…with my reputation, I doubt I'll be allowed to just walk right through the front door."

When all she does is blink up at him, he rolls his eyes in frustration. "Calling ahead and putting in a good word couldn't hurt." He states loudly to get his point across, then raising his brow. "Ya think?"

He hears a light cough from behind him. He looks back, seeing a now stern Wicked, her expression mirroring his own. She crosses her arms defiantly, as if to say, _"it won't kill you to be a little nicer."_

After a brief attempt to plead back at her with, _"do I really have to?"_, he lightly groans, looking down at the still ever confused Jackie standing next to him. It takes a moment, but he manages to soften his gaze, choosing a more appropriate tone to go with this time. He breathes deeply, suddenly feeling very awkward.

"Please," he struggles. "I, can't do this alone…and, you're the only ones that, Motherboard will listen to." The words feel foreign coming from his own mouth, as though someone else were speaking through him. He gives his request a moment to sink in, noticing a somewhat relieved Wicked out of the corner of his eye.

When Jackie looks at him strangely, he adds earnestly, "she needs me…and I'll never be able to live with myself if anything happens to that girl…please…"

There's a mixture of reactions from everyone in the room. Buzz and Delete's jaws have been dropped since the shouting match between the two had began. Inez and Matt exchange wide-eyed looks, still not sure what to make of all this. Wicked, though still visibly worried, is unable to fight back a small smile, tearing up slightly at Hacker's sudden outburst. Jackie's confusion remains the same, mainly from the beseeched stare her worst enemy continues to display, waiting for some kind of response.

After a moment, she wrinkles her nose, turning to her two friends. She shrugs her shoulders uncomfortably, face going a bit crimson. Probably from regret. "Well?"

Matt does the same, coming back with, "hey, yer the one that has mixed feelings about all this, remember? If anything, I'm all for it."

Inez agrees. "And, technically, he **is** asking you." She shakes her head, a hint of a smirk on her face. "Not us."

Jackie groans, making the mistake of glancing over at Delete just as he'd clasped his hands together, looking up at the teen with those innocent puppy-dog eyes, almost begging.

"Pleeeeaaaaase, Miss Jackie?" the bot pleads. "Will ya do it fer Ivy."

"Uh, yeah, diddo." Buzz mimics, though it's a little more awkward for him. Being cute was never his strong suit. "Pleeeeeeaaaase?"

Lastly, she looks to Wicked for an opinion, who nods in Hacker's direction, her tone firm but gentle. "I doubt he has anything left to lose…even if this was some kind ploy to take over the Cyberspace."

Once out of options, Jackie lets her head droop forward in defeat, pinching the pressure points between her eyes. She sighs before only grumbling something that sounds close to "fine, whatever."

Inez rolls her eyes, still unable to hide a smirk as the two small bots cheer excitedly while chanting, 'We're gettn in Central Control! We're gettn in Central Control!'.

She shakes her head at the sight. "**Definitely** not a normal day in Cyberspace."

"That's **definitely **an understatement," Matt adds, cocking his head to the side.

"Tell me about it," Wicked states, instead watching Hacker as he gives the teens a nod of thanks before preparing their arrival to Motherboard's main site of operation. They may have gotten lucky in finding an easier way to get to the girl, but she's far from relieved. Getting to her was now the easy part. Saving her life was still undetermined. Although the truth was frightening, it was now all too clear; Hacker may already be out of time.

And so was Ivy.

* * *

**Oh my god! This is getting ridiculous!**

**And yes, this story will eventually come to an end. Whether or not you like it, or expect it, is still WAY up in the air!**

**Stay turned…**


	13. Motherboard Knows Best

**Note: Still, even after all this time, nothing from Cyberchase belongs to me. Oh, well…at least I still have Ivy!**

**I know it's taken forever and a day, but here it is; Chapter 13! Ta-duh! Sorry it took so long. Been kinda busy. I'll try to update sooner on the next one!**

**Well, what're ya waiting for! Get to reading, already!**

**My One and Only: A Cyberspace Story**

**By LaurenShort-DisneyFan **

**Chapter 13: Motherboard Knows Best …**

* * *

Digit gives Ivy's hand another tight squeeze, watching her intently as she sleeps, hoping to see a difference in her breathing or for the small chance she'll wake up. He had a sneaking feeling he would be let down again.

"Come on, Kid," he mumbles, glancing over at the machinery next to her bedside uneasily, the respirator being his least favorite as it pumps air into the child's lungs, no longer having the strength to breath on her own. "Don't give up on us."

The purple bird shakes his head. Ivy's condition had gotten considerably worse over the past few hours, and more critical by the minute. Doctor Marbles had managed to develop a short-term solution using the majority of the electro-root left over from their attempts at curing Motherboard in the past. But, as they'd predicted, it did little to stabilize her.

How it was that Ivy had gone from a smiling and curious little girl full of energy, to barely breathing and nearly comatose, was baffling. It only perturbed him further at the thought of Hacker being her only hope for survival. Considering his past dealings with the selfish borg, he knew the chances of him being willing to help someone other than himself weren't very high. They were basically non existent.

Digit blinks, noticing something out of the corner of his eye. He gives the sleeping Ivy another glance before reaching a wing out to her side, slightly pulling back the blanket to get a better look at something familiar; the stack of papers and crayons he'd scrounged up for her some time ago, back before she'd slipped unconscious. Curious, he retrieves them from their hiding place at her side, looking them over one at a time.

The first one brings a small smile to his beak, instantly recognizing his misshapen likeness inside of what he could only assume was the cyber coupe, and others resembling the Cyber Squad standing outside of it. He flips to the next one, having to hold back a snort of laughter at her depiction of Doctor Marbles, his head indeed a large light bulb, illuminated for one reason or another, a big grin on his oddly shaped face. He moves onto the final one, taken a bit by surprise this time as he stares down at the final drawing. He eyes her for a moment before studying the image in his wings.

It was of Buzz, Delete, herself and what he guessed was The Wicked Witch, all of them holding hands and smiling. One unfinished figure stood out the most, obviously The Hacker on the side opposite to Wicked, grasping Ivy's other hand tightly. She'd managed to draw his top half, probably becoming too weak to continue the rest. It was odd seeing a genuine grin on his face, even if it was only in crayon.

Digit frowns the longer he stares at it. Something wasn't right here. Normally when I child's drawings appear highly unlikely to anyone else, it was straight from their imagination. But after seeing Ivy's portrayal of himself and the others, she obviously preferred to color things how she saw them; pretty much exactly how everyone else did. There was only one figure in all her pictures that just didn't look right.

The thought of The Hacker smiling and being happy made his head hurt. It was too unreal. He couldn't recall a time when his former boss had ever acted in such a way. Not since before he'd turned against Motherboard. But that was a long time ago…

He studies Ivy's sleeping form curiously. If he were to take a guess, it would be that Hacker's feelings toward her weren't what they'd originally thought. According to Ivy's simple little drawing, it looked as if he genuinely cared for her. Like a father cared. His eye's are now back on the picture, thinking…

"_Digit. This is Doctor Marbles, are you still with our patient? Digit?_

Digit's thoughts are interrupted by a voice illustrating from the intercom just on the other side of the room's open door. He throws another glance at Ivy before rushing out to answer the call, jamming his wing down on the receiver button. "Yeah I'm here, Doc. What's up?"

"_Good. How is she? Any improvement so far?"_

Digit sighs. "Sorry, Doc. Nothin'. She's hangin' in there but, well…" He trails off, instead coming out with, "Hey, Doc? I know there's an issue with the whole needing Hacker's help and all, but, uh…" He looks down at Ivy's family portrait. "There's, something I think you need to see."

"_No point in worrying about that anymore, old friend."_

Digit cocks a brow at his dark tone. "But, there may be more goin' on with Hacker and this kid than we thought…call me crazy, but…I think there's a possibility that he might actually care about her. A-And if that's true, then maybe he'd be willing to help," he states earnestly, yet again receiving the same negative response.

"_It's a bit late to be going with that theory now. And, it also appears that my opinion no longer matters to our Cybersquad."_

Digit frowns. "Doc, what er-"

"_I suggest you make yourself useful for once and tell me how Ivy is really doing, you sorry excuse of a cyber-turkey!"_

The breath catches in his throat at the faint shout in the background. That wasn't Marbles.

* * *

"I'm sorry, but I simply can not allow this!" Doctor Marbles shakes his head, arms brought up as a defiant road block. "I just can't!"

The moment they'd returned to Control Central, Matt, Jackie and Inez knew that Marbles wouldn't exactly be thrilled about their decision to disregard their original plans, choosing to go after Hacker instead. Over the years they'd gotten to know the good doctor all too well, most of all his unbound hatred for the cyborg currently trying to force his way past him.

They thought it would make it easier to not call ahead and alert anyone of his presence on the site. Obviously, they were wrong.

"Stop wasting my time!" Hacker argues, attempting to get past him and into the main control room. "And Ivy's. She doesn't have enough to survive your ridiculous paranoia towards me."

Marbles glares. "This is precisely why I was against enlisting your help. You have never given me or anyone else a reason to allow you access to anything in Control Central. Why on Earth these three thought to do so is beyond me-"

"Oh, for crying out loud," Hacker projects, then jabbing a green finger down at his creator. "Believe it or not, Bubble Brain, I could care less how you and Motherboard are currently running things around here. There's actually something more important going on than your childish little grudge against me-"

"My childish grudge?" His eyes go wide at the accusation, finally dropping his arms, making a fist and shaking it at him. "You were the one who went ballistic all those years ago, spouting off nonsense about how Cyberspace was becoming more of a democracy than anything, and that an underdeveloped ape could do a better job at running things!"

"Homo-sapien, you twit," Hacker corrects slowly. "I said a simple minded bunch of homo-sapiens could develop a better government than you ever could! Stop twisting my words, you we're always trying to phrase everything to fit your own vocabulary!"

"Well, considering you're the one that keeps trying to take on the job, I suppose you'd be perfect for it then, wouldn't you?"

"Over compensating simpleton!"

"Stubborn fatheaded dolt!"

"FILAMENTS FOR BRAINS!"

"SHOVEL CHIN!"

A shrill whistle fills the room, catching the two off guard. They turn their attention to the three teens on their left, receiving blank stares, though Matt nods in a particular direction. Hacker goes silent at sighting an extremely disgruntled Wicked Witch, her thumb and four finger brought up to her mouth. Doctor Marbles does the same, still just as perturbed.

Wicked lowers her hand, placing both of them sternly on her hips. "Gentlemen," she states with forced calm. "As touching as it is to see you two catch up on all the good times, there're more important things going on around here."

The two disagreeing men stare at her a moment before meeting the other's hateful glare, teeth bared and fists clenched, prepared to either receive a blow or deliver one.

"Doc, please," Jackie says, going to stand next to him. "He's Ivy's only hope. They're just here to help.'

Matt and Inez both nod. "Nothing else." "We swear."

Hacker feels pressure on his arm. He looks over to see Wicked grasping onto it gently, her somber gaze similar to the one she'd given him back on The Grim Wreaker after his argument with the Earth girl, Jackie. Already aware of its meaning, he heaves a sigh, attempting to swallow his pride for the second time that day. This one was going to be a little more difficult.

Regrettably, he locks eyes with the one person truly responsible for the mental and physical anguish he's had to endure since choosing to go against Motherboard. Mainly physical, taking away the power source that could've prevented him from having to worry about recharging himself all these years. If it hadn't been for Doctor Marbles' decision to strip him of that energy, he would've had the strength to conquer Cyberspace long ago unopposed.

But despite the hatred dwelling within his circuits, an upsetting fact comes to mind; if Marbles hadn't removed his primary source of power, he would've never gotten so desperate as to begin construction on a device meant to create a suitable beneficiary, whose sole purpose would be to carry on his legacy as scourge of the cybernetic world. Had it not been for his creator, a man he'd resented and despised his entire young and now adult life, Hacker would never have gained the one thing more important to him than his desire to obtain world domination. The only person he was willing to give up everything for, if it meant she'd be happy, and safe.

Everything.

Hacker could feel his anger dissolve at this thought, but only slightly, as he finally comes out with, "this isn't about you and I, Marbles. For once, I honestly could care less about you or Motherboard. There's only one thing on this miserable site of yours that I'm here for." He nods past him. "All I want is the girl…that's it. Once I have her back, I'll leave. And you can get back to whatever the hell it is you do around here, anymore."

Marbles' resentment, on the other hand, hadn't faltered in the least. He crosses his arms defiantly. "Just what makes you think I'm willing to hand over that poor girl to you? I stand by what I said before; you've given us absolutely no reason to trust a single thing you say or do! From what she's uploaded to us, you hadn't intended for her to be created. That you didn't want her from the very beginning! She was quite clear on that."

"She isn't safe here, Marbles!" Hacker almost pleads. "There's nothing you can do. I'm the only one that can help her!"

"A black hole is a safer place for her to be than with you, Hacker!" He responds harshly. "From what Ivy's told us about your little experiment, she was probably destined to be thrown into one by you eventually, anyway!"

The cyborg's eyes widen, caught completely off guard. His earlier thoughts on Marbles' contribution to Ivy's creation are pushed from his mind, now struggling to keep his anger in check. "How, dare you assume I would even consider something so…so-"

"Heartless?" He'd finished. "Hard to believe you find that accusation surprising."

"That girl is my own flesh and blood!" Hacker shouts. He jerks his arm out of Wicked's tightening grasp, towering over the smaller blue man. "I would never do anything to hurt her!" He brings up a shaking fist. "If you **ever** openly charge me of such a horrible act again, I'll-"

"Hacker, this isn't helping!" Wicked hissed, placing herself between the two. "You can't let what problems the two of you have be responsible for what happens to Ivy!" She's only able push his larger frame back two steps before turning to face the source of his anger. "Doctor Marbles, please! We can't afford to waste anymore time."

"We know you guys have a serious beef, and all," Matt adds, taking a page from Wicked's book and moving in front of Marbles. "But this is the worst possible time to be acting on it!"

"Seriously," Jackie says, placing a hand on the doctor's shoulder. "Can't this wait until **after **Ivy is in the clear?"

Still seething, Doctor Marbles is about to come out with yet another possible insult when an aggressive voice calls out to the group. Though this one's commanding tone has a much greater effect, making them all jump.

"EVERYONE! Please! Calm down!"

Heads snap in the direction of the booming voice. There, further into the depths of Control Central, was the vast open space that housed the large monitor displaying the ruler of Cyberspace; Motherboard. Her normally positive image was replaced by something similar to what an agitated parent would express towards a group of squabbling children. Matt, Jackie, and Inez know the look all too well, suddenly reminded of their own mothers back in their world.

"This," she projects. "Stops, now!" Her disapproving gaze stays fixed on her trusted associate. "Doctor Marbles!"

"Y-Yes, Motherboard?" he asks shakily, unable to catch himself before he stands at attention.

"I am~astounded by your behavior!" Motherboard lectures, ignoring the usual static cutting through her reception. "A child's life is on the line, and all you can think to do is criticize the one person truly capable of doing anything about it! You should be~ashamed!"

Marbles blinks, as if playing over the last few minutes in the his mind. He shakes his head, suddenly repulsed at himself. "Why, I…I'm not sure what came over me." He looks down at the floor, not wanting to meet Hacker's hateful stare. "I…I didn't realize-"

"It doesn't matter now," Motherboard interrupts. "What does matter, is that poor girl getting the help she desperately needs! This occasion alone~Hacker will be granted access to anything he requires in the medical bay. As well as **your** full cooperation…Do I make myself clear?"

Marbles' eye twitches slightly at this. He throws a hardened glance over at his former assistant, receiving one in return. He fights to hold back a groan, instead giving a solemn nod. "Of course, Motherboard. I understand."

"I thought as much. Now then, please escort Miss Wicked and the others to the room Ivy is being treated. Hacker?" she announces sternly, receiving a look of surprise from the cyborg in question. "I'd like a brief word with you…alone."

Doctor Marbles immediately protests against the request, but receives yet another expression severe enough to stop him in mid sentence. He nods in understanding before reluctantly leading the group of teens the rest of the way down the metallic hallway. Wicked goes to follow, but Hacker grabs her by the wrist.

"Here," he says. His tone urgent, yet placid as he gives her one of the devices he'd made in his laboratory. "Take this." He gently folds her fingers around the combination of glass and metal, not letting go of her hand just yet. "Do you remember what to do?" When she nods once, he does the same. "Good. And don't worry; it will only hurt for a moment, after that you'll feel weakened. It'll be temporary."

She nods again. "Yes, I remember-"

"B-But only remove enough of your own to fill the syringe up to the line. See, I've marked it so that way you don't give too much by mistake."

"Hacker."

"If you can't do it alone, wait for me. Just, not too long. I'm not sure how much more time, she…um, that she has, and I…I-"

"Hacker."

"Huh?" He brings his head up, meeting the softened gaze of someone much more put together than himself at the moment. At seeing her small grin, he suddenly realizes the level of panic he was experiencing, as well as the slight tremor in his hands. Wicked must have noticed, taking them both in hers. She hugs them reassuringly.

"It'll be alright." Her tone is surprisingly confident, bringing him some peace of mind. "Relax…and stay calm…for Ivy." She rests a hand on his cheek. "Remember; do what you can."

Hacker was attempting to fight back the sting behind his eyes. The last thing he needed was to break down sobbing in the heart of his worst enemy's base of operations. He'd never shed a tear in his life. He wasn't about to start now. No matter how much was at stake. He reaches a hand up to rest on her smaller one, giving it a squeeze of understanding. Though what she says next, feels like a stab in the heart;

"Everything will turn out fine," she states, reaching up to give him a light kiss on the cheek. When she pulls away, it was hard to miss the sight of her glazed eyes, smile close to faltering. "You…and her, will be just fine…you'll see." She then turns away from him, walking briskly to catch up to the rest of the group.

He watches her go, his conscience now filled with guilt. He may have told The Wicked Witch about the **possibility** of him not surviving the transfusion that was needed, therefore giving her reason to help. The truth being that her contribution may not be entirely necessary. It was more of a precaution than anything. What he'd failed to mention was that, according to his most recent calculations, a simple donation from himself alone wouldn't be enough. In order for it to make a difference, a much greater sacrifice was needed. One that he feared would do much more than just leave him in a weakened state.

If Wicked knew the true consequences of what he was about to do…there was no telling how she would react.

"Hacker?"

Hacker is brought back to the present by a projected, yet soft voice traveling out from the large room. He throws another glance in the direction Ivy was supposedly in before making his way over to the enormous monitor that housed the image of the most beloved and respected being in Cyberspace. He keeps a distance of at least six feet between himself and her main control consol, ignoring the knot forming in his stomach.

"This will only take a moment," Motherboard reassures him. "I believe there's~something you and I need to discuss."

The green cyborg looks up at her questioningly. "What? Why would I need-"

"Despite the virus affecting my circuitry, I still see many things in Cyberspace, Hacker. You, are most~definitely one of them."

Hacker blinks, not sure how to respond. Thankfully, she elaborates further. Her voice almost comforting.

"You may not know this…but I still have eyes on The Northern Frontier. With good reason." Her gaze flashes stern for a moment. "Your actions throughout the years have been nothing short of…well," she pauses. "I suppose the proper term would be~uncivilized."

Hacker couldn't disagree with this. After all, he wasn't known as The Scourge of Cyberspace for nothing. If anyone could state such a claim, it was Motherboard.

"Your behavior has been most insufferable. Not only for myself, but the entire population of the cybernetic world. Obviously, the one most offended by your betrayal, is Doctor Marbles. Although his actions a moment ago were unacceptable~they are understandable.

Again, he couldn't argue. On both counts.

"And, he is technically right; I have no reason to trust you. Even now, when things are most dire. Especially for yourself…and, apparently, The Wicked Witch."

Despite his current angst, Hacker can feel his face flush. He could only image how their behavior appeared to anyone who just happened to be observing them. Small gestures, such as a kiss on the cheek, had to look rather bizarre from someone else's point of view.

"But," she states. "Despite what you've done in the past, there's something~different about you now…Something's changed…and I've seen it."

Hacker swallows a lump in his throat. He was afraid something like this would happen, never liking when his reputation was questioned. Even if he hated being known for such a thing at the moment. "I'm, sure I don't know what you mean," he responds, crossing his arms, though he's not confident she buys into his forced demeanor as The Bad Guy. "If anything, I've had more than enough time to plan new and deceitful ways to conquer your, pathetic version of Cyberspace. Why else would I have laid low for so long-"

"True," she nods, giving The Hacker a warm smile. Something she hasn't done for a very long time. "But you haven't."

He doesn't come back with anything, unsure of what sort of explanation to go with. What she says next makes his jaw drop, only adding to the strange conversation;

"I have watched you," she says again. "As well as your Ivy. At first, I wasn't sure what to make of it~whether or not this girl was another elaborate scheme in the works was inconclusive." Motherboard shakes her digital head, seeing his eyes widen at this. "I had not shared this with anyone, especially Digit or Doctor Marbles."

"Wuh-You knew?" Hacker stammers, arms dropping to his sides. "But, she was created, more than a month ago! If you knew then, why didn't you-"

"-send the Earthlings to investigate sooner?" she finishes the question for him. "There was no need. No threat was detected; the girl is innocent~and clearly no longer a part of your plans…Her arrival seemed to force you to put your plans of being King of Cyberspace on hold.

"I tried to avoid the subject of your absence for as long as possible, but Doctor Marbles had grown too suspicious, insisting that something be done. Ivy's existence would have become know eventually~though I was attempting to keep your secret for as long as possible…until you were ready for the world to know. Or for her to have the chance to learn more about herself from her own father, rather than someone that despises you." She observes his expression for a moment before adding, "it's amazing what a parent will do for their child." She gives him a wink. "Isn't that right, Hacker?"

Hacker's brow furrows, his mind having difficulty wrapping around this. "I, don't understand. Why? If you knew what I was up to from the beginning, why not do something about it?" He takes a step forward, gesturing. "You said so yourself that I've been nothing but trouble." He realized he wasn't exactly helping his villainous persona by speaking out like this, but it didn't matter. This little bit of news was just too much. "You have every reason in the world to be wary of anything I do, no matter how harmless it may appear!"

He paces from side to side, struggling with what to say next. "Of all the times to turn a blind eye, why now? What makes this plan any different from-"

"You love her," came her response, causing him to stop. "She is your daughter, and you~her father…I had no right to interfere with that."

He turns to face her again, thrown off by this, only listening as she begins to unexpectedly defend him, breaking down the confusion and heartache he's endured the past month into one simple explanation. Amazingly making things much clearer than he ever could.

"You had intended on creating a son, meant to carry on your name~and join you in your goals of conquest. When the unthinkable happened; you were left with a small child to care for~having no idea the effect a little girl would have on **you**…of all people. Everyone would expect you to do just as Doctor Marbles had assumed; dispose of her. But you didn't…because you couldn't. Ivy means much more to you than just another scheme, or plan~she is special. She cares for you, despite who you are."

Seeing his gaze cast downward at this, she adds, "I know you don't entirely blame her for being frightened of you after finding out the truth. Frankly, neither do I. But Hacker~you must understand; she needs time coming to terms with this…Even then, I feel she will still accept you." She shakes her head. "You assume too much to think she will hate you forever…she is only a child, after all." She grins again. "Though, she is **your **child."

Hacker brings his head up. "What do you mean by that?"

"Is it not obvious?" Motherboard answers, still smiling. "I will admit that~you have surprised me, these past few weeks. I never expected such a drastic change from you, after all this time. Your intensions have always been clear. But now…" She becomes serious, her expression a mixture of sullen and confused. "Now something is different…you, don't want this life for her. That much is clear."

Hacker holds his tongue. Her words hurt, but they were the truth; Ivy didn't deserve to be like him. Even when she became old enough to make her own decisions, he would never allow it, and the fact that he'd already made up his mind on this was surprising! After all, wasn't that the whole point of all this? The main reason for Ivy even being born? If not, then what was her purpose?

But even if he chose to let her go, to lead her own life, **where** would she go? Where could the offspring of the most hated borg in Cyberspace possibly belong? The poor girl's fate was inevitable; she would always be an outcast…and he would always be to blame.

Hacker's brooding is interrupted when Motherboard asks the unimaginable;

"If this is the case, I have to wonder…is it the life you yourself still wish to lead~if it means losing her?" She pauses, watching his wide-eyed reaction. "Would you be willing to give it all up…if only for the girl?"

Hacker can only stare.

"You're not as strong as you used to be, Hacker," she adds, still very serious. "Not without your original energy core…If you choose to go through with what you have planned~while in your current state…you will not survive." She eyes his now stoned reaction closely, giving a slight nod. "You know this."

"I won't let her die," Hacker finally finds his voice, though it's not as firm as he'd like it to be. "Not because of me. And if I have to give my own life, then so be it!" He turns to leave the room, taking long quick strides, fighting the urge to move into a sprint. "I'm sorry, but I've wasted too much time here. I can't be bothered with this now…Ivy needs me."

"Of course." She nods behind his back, watching him go with careful consideration. He turns the corner, now out of earshot as she whispers; "If only you knew how much."

With the room now empty, the all-knowing Motherboard goes into sleep mode…she had a great decision to make, having finally heard what she needed to hear.

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

**O_o**

**Hmm. Wonder what will happen next? Too bad you'll have to wait until next time, huh?**

**I already KNOW what will happen! Muahahahahaha!**

…**I think.**

**Anywayz, stay tuned! More to come soon!**


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